Experts said Việt Nam needs to build up the National Innovation Centre to create a technological start-up ecosystem and upgrade the national innovation system.– Photo cand.com.vn

HÀ NỘI – Experts said Việt Nam needs to build up the National Innovation Centre to create a technological start-up ecosystem and upgrade the national innovation system.

In a speech at a workshop on establishing the National Innovation Centre (NIC) held by the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM) on Wednesday in Hà Nội, CIEM director Nguyễn Đình Cung said the centre plays an important role in bringing new technologies to businesses and individuals.

"Việt Nam’s innovation centres can help convert the country into an innovation-driven society based on Industry 4.0 technology,” bnews.vn quoted Cung as saying. “The NIC will have an advanced development model to create an international-level ecosystem for tech start ups.

Đặng Quang Vinh, deputy director of CIEM’s Business Environment and Competitive Ability Department, said innovation centres in Việt Nam have remained outside the world ranking. In the past 10 years, centres supporting start-up enterprises did not succeed in creating a billion-dollar company.

The NIC will be the hub for the innovation ecosystem in Việt Nam, Vinh said. In its first stage, the NIC will focus on hardware and software in fields such as smart cities, digital industry (games, advertising, movies and music) and network security.

CIEM proposed the NIC as a social enterprise with 100 per cent private investment under the provisions of the 2014 Enterprise Law.

The NIC will enjoy business incentives including a 20-year exemption of land use fees, preferential credit and permission for domestic and foreign enterprises in the same field to rent space.

The centre will be located on a 23ha area of Hòa Lạc Hi-tech Park. The investment capital is expected to reach VNĐ 1.9 trillion (US$82 million), VNĐ1.7 trillion of which will be used to build its facilities. Construction will begin in 2019 and should be finished within three years. The centre can begin operating during the second year of construction.

Lê Hải Mơ, deputy director of the Institute of Financial Strategy and Policy under the Ministry of Finance, said the NIC should be developed under an open model rather than an administrative model.

Cung said the centre must have a high income to attract talented people who have options in other countries.

The centre will contribute to the improvement of the country’s innovation system and to the implementation of the National Strategy for Industry 4.0. The NIC will have pilot programmes for improving co-operation between the State and businesses for social purposes and the implementation of innovative policies to adapt governance to Industry 4.0. – VNS