— The Government will spare no effort to support the building of the national innovation center (NIC). — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Government will spare no effort to support the building of the national innovation center (NIC), said Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc.

The leader hammered home his point on Friday in Hà Nội at a meeting with ministerial and sector leaders as well as domestic and international consultants.

Held to discuss the establishment of the centre, the meeting highlighted the priority areas such as smart factories, digital content, network security, smart urban areas, and environmental technology.

The NIC will be developed at Hòa Lạc Hi-Tech Park and create 5,000 jobs.

The Government would do its best to support innovative ideas since Việt Nam won’t be able develop without science and technology, Phúc said.

Last year, the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) was entrusted by the Prime Minister to outline the NIC establishment project.

The scheme is part of the national strategy on economic reform and growth model renovation, helping Việt Nam to achieve sustainable economic growth and become a country with a high average income.

The PM hailed the MPI and consultants for their initiative in NIC. He also hoped that if successful, the pilot projects would be replicated.

Speaking at the meeting, consultants said Việt Nam had its own advantages because there are many Vietnamese talents currently working Singapore or the United States. The Government needs policies to attract these people to come back and work for the country, they said.

Consultants also said that besides attracting high-quality human resources for the centre, the government should create favourable conditions for investors in terms of land use tax, administrative procedures, and granting intellectual property rights, among others.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese ministries and sectors said the government should take the lead in using innovative products created by the centre to increase its operational efficiency.

The NIC is a part of the MPI’s Vietnam Innovation Network initiative launched in August 2018.  According to the project’s draft plan drawn up by the MPI’s Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM), the NIC will be developed on an area of 23 ha in Hòa Lạc Hi-Tech Park with total investment of VNĐ1.9 trillion (US$82 million), including VNĐ1.7 trillion ($74 million) for the physical construction and VNĐ200 billion ($8.7 million) for operating capital. 

The project, set to break ground later this year, will be finished within three years, and could be put into operation by 2020.
The NIC is expected to lure 40 big technology companies, 150 start-ups and small and medium sized enterprises, plus 15 venture investment funds creating more than 5,000 jobs.
The NIC will focus on a number of priority sectors to begin with, such as developing hardware and software for smart factories and smart cities, digital content, and network security. — VNS