Open Innovation (OI) is a strategic approach that encourages businesses to leverage external creative resources such as experts, research institutes, and creative communities to improve their products and services. The goal is to shorten the time it takes to bring a product to market and commercialize it, or to release internal innovation outcomes that are not suitable for a company’s business model but could be effectively used elsewhere. First introduced by Professor Henry Chesbrough in 2003, OI quickly became a global trend in business management, especially as markets accelerated the digital transformation process.
In Vietnam, Open Innovation has been widely applied, supported by national policies and programs. According to the World Bank, while Vietnam has one of the fastest-growing economies in Southeast Asia, the rate of technology adoption by businesses remains low compared to countries with similar income levels. To bridge this gap, Vietnam has implemented several open innovation programs to help businesses leverage external creative resources.
Many large corporations and businesses have initiated collaborations with research institutes, universities, and startups to address various challenges. Notable examples include the QVIC Innovation Challenge (Qualcomm Vietnam), the SOIHub Open Innovation Center (SaigonTel Group), the Agile Innovation Center (VinUni University – Vingroup), and the Galaxy Innovation Hub (HDBank).
Highlighted Open Innovation Programs in Vietnam:
GRAFT Challenge—Agricultural Technology Innovation: The GRAFT Challenge Vietnam 2021, funded by the Australian Government through Aus4Innovation and in collaboration with Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology, aimed to assist agricultural technology companies globally in accessing the Vietnamese market. The program brought advanced agricultural technologies to solve pressing industry challenges. It attracted solutions from 16 countries, including Vietnam, the U.S., Israel, and Australia. Nine solutions involving IoT, microbiology, and climate monitoring were selected for in-depth support, with companies receiving expert guidance and participating in field surveys in Vietnam to connect with leading agricultural corporations.
Youth Digital Citizen Challenge 2021: Launched by UNDP Vietnam, Hanoi’s Youth Union, and the Hanoi Youth Center, the 2021 Youth Digital Citizen Challenge aimed to encourage young people to develop technological and communication solutions that improve online public administrative services in Hanoi. The competition, targeting young people aged 18-30 working in IT, communication, and entrepreneurship, offered a total prize pool of 70 million VND, with the best initiatives being tested to enhance public services in Hanoi.
NATEC & ESG Cooperation Agreement: To boost Open Innovation, NATEC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Singapore Economic Development Agency (ESG) in 2018, which was later extended for another two years. This collaboration aims to promote startup companies, educational organizations, and ecosystem builders from both countries to foster mutual growth and innovative progress.
BambuUP Open Innovation Landscape Report 2021-2023: Based on a survey by the 844 Project Office on the ecosystem’s actors, BambuUP, along with its partners, compiled the Open Innovation Landscape Report for Vietnam (2021-2023). The report provides data on investment in open innovation and identifies the most benefited industries, such as information technology, agricultural technology, and educational technology, which accounted for 40% of all open innovation initiatives during this period.
Vietnam Innovation Challenge 2023-2024: The Vietnam Innovation Challenge (VIC) is a program aimed at realizing the vision of InnovateVN, led by the Ministry of Planning and Investment and co-organized by the National Innovation Center (NIC) and Meta Group. It seeks innovative solutions from organizations and individuals worldwide to address national challenges and contribute to a prosperous and sustainable Vietnam. The 2024 edition of the program focuses on innovation in the semiconductor industry and artificial intelligence to conquer global markets.
VietSolutions: VietSolutions is a competition initiated by the Ministry of Information and Communications, in collaboration with the Department of Informatics and Viettel Group. The competition aims to identify technological solutions for digital transformation in ten priority national sectors: healthcare, education, finance, agriculture, transport and logistics, energy, environment, manufacturing, entertainment, and business management. From 2019 to 2022, the competition attracted 1,225 applications from countries like Vietnam, Laos, East Timor, Mozambique, and Peru.
Gov.Star—Government Innovation Solutions 2024: Gov.Star is an innovation competition focused on the public sector, seeking solutions to improve administrative processes, management, and monitoring within local governments and public agencies. The competition encourages startups and young creative teams to provide high-tech solutions, including AI and IoT applications, to enhance public sector efficiency and contribute to smart city development.
Open Innovation programs in Vietnam are opening up numerous opportunities for businesses to collaborate, innovate, and grow. Relying solely on internal resources is no longer sufficient for businesses to keep up with current changes and innovations. Therefore, seeking support from external resources is crucial. One of the most effective models for solving business challenges is the Open Innovation platform, which not only benefits individual companies but also helps startups access new collaboration opportunities within the ecosystem. Vietnam is well on its way to developing robust Open Innovation models, attracting more investors, international partners, and technical experts to create a sustainable innovation ecosystem in the new era.
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