Hanoi (VNA) – The IPPGrand Harvest Day took place in Hanoi on July 6, concluding the four-yearimplementation of the Vietnam-Finland Innovation Partnership Programme (IPP) Phase2.

The event showcased IPP results,thematic group discussions, networking activities, and an open forum on“Developing a sustainable entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem”.

The IPP, an official development assistance(ODA) programme funded by the Vietnamese and Finnish governments, has beenjointly carried out by Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology andFinland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs. It targets long-term benefits for theVietnamese economy and innovation system.

Starting in 2014 with a budget of11 million EUR, its second phase (IPP2) has provided financial assistance,consultation, and training for 35 startup-related projects. A number of theseprojects were aimed at developing a sustainable entrepreneurship and innovation(E&I) ecosystem in Vietnam, including its formation within universities. From2016, IPP2 has supported Vietnamese universities and other educationalorganisations in building their E&I training and broader offering,including ecosystem ties.

IPP2 has also brought veteraninternational experts to take part in the country’s making of policies such as Programme844 on supporting the national startup ecosystem by 2015, a revised law ontechnology transfer, and the regulation on startups and venture funds.    

Based on real-life conduction, itissued a range of knowledge products, including a financial assistance tool forinnovative startups, a set of documents on developing innovation capacity, andtwo materials discussing policies for startup financing and promoting the roleof universities in E&I ecosystem development.

Speaking at the event, VietnameseMinister of Science and Technology Chu Ngoc Anh said the IPP is considered animportant link between Vietnam and Finland in the area of startups andinnovation, particularly as the two countries are celebrating their 45-yeardiplomatic relations this year.

IPP2 is a pioneer in pushing theformation and development of the E&I ecosystem in Vietnam, he stressed.

Lauri Laakso, chief advisor ofIPP2, said IPP2 has been carrying out the Vietnam Market Access and PartnershipProgramme since 2017 to help Finnish small- and medium-sized enterprises studythe Vietnamese market and seek partnerships.

The activity marked a new stage in Vietnam-Finlandties, which is switching from ODA provision to a mutually beneficialcooperation, he added.-VNA