Strengthening French-Vietnamese cooperation on innovation

MPI Minister Nguyen Chi Dung visiting Station F headquarters

While accompanying Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's visit to France, the Minister of Planning and Investment visited and worked with La French Tech and Station F yesterday night (November 4, 2021, GMT+7), facilities supporting startups under the management of the French government, gathering startup companies, investors, policymakers, and organisations.

La French Tech targets to enable France to become one of the most attractive destinations over the world to develop businesses with positive social impacts while Station F is the world's leading startup incubator, gathering numerous big ventures and technology businesses.

At La French Tech, talking with Anne Miller, manager of international cooperation, Minister Dung said that Vietnam's NIC is being built to become a hub of innovation not only for Vietnam but Asia and the rest of the world as well, similar to La French Tech.

"We need support from and cooperation with La French Tech to realise this target," said the minister.

Meanwhile, at Station F, the base of about 1,000 French startups, the minister discussed with Roxanne Varza, general manager of Station F, the NIC's goals and potential collaboration with Station F.

Talking with La French Tech and Station F, the minister proposed numerous cooperation activities for the future, such as connecting and collaborating among technology businesses, ventures, institutes, universities, startups of France and Vietnam with the support of NIC and La French Tech, Station F.

The minister asked the two French agencies to receive Vietnam's startups referred to them by the NIC to work and study in France for a time, and for them to refer some French startups and companies to set up a base and operate at NIC, as well as organise workshops and technology transfer between France and Vietnam.

Strengthen Vietnam-France cooperation on innovation

The minister hoped that these two organisations would be important partners of NIC. To propagate strong relations, NIC will set up a representative office of La French Tech in Hanoi and a regional office for Station F. On the other hand, La French Tech and Station F will help NIC to develop its locations in the centre of Hanoi and Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park to become regional and global innovation hubs.

During the same visit, Minister Dung chaired the launching ceremony of Vietnam Innovation Network in Europe (VINEU) to gather and connect Vietnamese experts and intellectuals to develop innovation activities between Vietnam and European countries.