Bùi Quốc Huy, director of NIC made an opening remark at the event in Hà Nội on Tuesday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — "Inno Vietnam – Japan Fast Track Pitch 2023", a new platform for start-ups and companies from ASEAN, Japan, and around the world to co-create open innovation, was launched in the capital city on Tuesday.

The event was jointly held by the National Innovation Centre (NIC) in collaboration with the Japan Trade Promotion Agency (JETRO) and the Japanese Embassy in Việt Nam.

The programme is within the framework of the "ASEAN – Japan Co-Creation Fast Track Initiative" to accelerate global open innovation of Japanese companies and start-ups.

At the ceremony, six large enterprises and corporations possessing challenges from Japan and Việt Nam announced details of their 2023 challenges, including VinGroup, FPT Corporation, Corporation technology MoMo (Vietnam); Kokyu Corporation, Money Forward Corporation, and Fujikin Danang Research, Development and Production Centre (Japan).

According to Bùi Quốc Huy, director of NIC, the programme held in Việt Nam for the first time aims to attract innovative and start-up businesses from Japan and Southeast Asia to solve urgent problems that major businesses and corporations are encountering. The partnership between the challenger and the solution-proposer helps with promoting knowledge exchange and increasing the effectiveness of the application of the achievements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

It is also a good opportunity for innovative businesses and start-ups to introduce products and solutions to potential large customers. In particular, excellent products and solutions will have an opportunity to be supported by challengers to develop and invest in the future, toward market expansion and participation in the global value chain.

Ishikawa Hiroshi, executive director of JETRO and special advisor to the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan, said that the programme is the fastest way for innovative businesses and start-ups to set up businesses, access support from organisations and other Government resources.

Lê Việt Thanh, deputy đirector of Data Platform & Analytics Center of FPT Information System, said the eternal challenges faced by Vietnamese enterprises are first, how to survive in the market, and second, how to rise to the top.

“Therefore, most businesses, when participating in this programme, aim to look for new ‘weapons’ or tools relating to technology, AI, and most of the challenges presented at the launch today focus on how to connect technology with businesses, how to make technologies useful to daily life and to business,” Thanh said.

The model was successfully deployed in Singapore in April and in Bangkok earlier this month, attracting more than 700 investors, start-ups, large corporations, and supporting organisations. The third event is scheduled to be held in Jakarta on September 1.

In Việt Nam, the "Inno Vietnam – Japan Fast Track Pitch 2023" is expected to become an annual event. — VNS