Ministry welcomes World Innovation Day

Innovation is shaping the future of development, enabling Vietnam to become not only a frontrunner in innovation, but a global beacon of creativity.

Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Le Xuan Dinh said that if science creates new knowledge, and technology creates new tools, then innovation is the bridge that transforms knowledge and technology into products, services, and practical value.

“In recent times, Vietnam's system of policies and laws on science, technology, and innovation has been perfected, contributing to the formation of institutional conditions for the national innovation system. Strategic technology development programmes are focusing on foundational areas such as AI, big data, biotechnology, new materials, and new energy, demonstrating a clear shift from technology adoption to proactively mastering and developing technology,” he said.

Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Le Xuan Dinh. Photo: MST.

This year, the MST chooses two themes: “Innovation - Breakthrough Action, Spreading Results”, and “Innovation - Transforming Faster and Stronger to Turn Ideas into Value, Aspirations into Reality”.

These themes focus on shifting from awareness to decisive action, creating concrete results with the potential for widespread impact in society; while asking acceleration, improved organisational capacity for implementation, and shortening the process from idea to application and commercialisation.

A key focus of this year's celebration is encouraging the role of stakeholders in the national innovation system. In particular, research institutes, universities, and the scientific community play a core role in creating new knowledge, developing core technologies, training high-quality workers, and providing scientific arguments for development.

Photo: MST

The business community sits at the centre of the system, absorbing, mastering, and commercialising technology while embedding innovation in production and business practices. It is expected to proactively commission research, take part in testing, and lead the adoption of new solutions and products.

For state agencies, the role extends beyond institution building to leading and organising effective implementation. This includes identifying development challenges across industries and localities through the lens of science, technology, and innovation, and coordinating resources to deliver tangible, broad-based results.

Addressing the event, Pauline Tamesis, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Vietnam, said the UN’s Global Digital Compact calls for closing divides, expanding inclusion, and guiding innovation responsibly. In Vietnam, she noted, this vision aligns closely with Party Resolution 57, which places science, technology, and innovation at the core of national development.

Pauline Tamesis, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Vietnam. Photo: MST.

“UNESCO’s work on AI and culture already shows us how technology can converge with responsibility. In Vietnam, initiatives like the Hanoi Creative City programme demonstrate how youth, policymakers, and creators are shaping a more human-centered future for AI,” she said.

“But creativity does not thrive in isolation. It flourishes in ecosystems where governments, businesses, academia, and communities – especially young people – work together. The Global Digital Compact encourages this collaboration. Resolution 57 gives it national momentum. Together, they align global vision with local action.”

As part of the event, the forum on developing the system of innovation centres was organised as a space for exchange and discussion, where participants focused on clarifying the role, organisational model, operating mechanism, and policy implementation for innovation centres in Vietnam.

The forum proposed solutions to enhance the role of these centres as effective intermediary institutions in searching for, connecting, and encouraging the application of innovative solutions, contributing to solving problems of industries, sectors, and localities; providing support services for the application, transfer, and innovation of technology.

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