Vietnamese entrepreneurs get platform to enter new markets in 2020

The launch of Qualcomm Vietnam Innovation Challenge

The Challenge will identify and support innovative small- and medium-sized enterprises and encourage them to design new products in 5G, IoT, machine learning, smart cities, wearables, and multimedia utilising Qualcomm mobile platforms and technologies. This initiative is a collaboration with Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST), and will also serve as a platform to help Vietnamese entrepreneurs enter new markets around the world.

Qualcomm Vietnam Innovation Challenge is the first programme of its kind from Qualcomm in Vietnam, and will be open to any company or team that meets the eligibility criteria to participate. Applications will be narrowed down through multiple selection rounds to ten finalists who will move forward to the incubation stage. This will involve business coaching, access to engineering resources at Qualcomm’s Hanoi labs for product development, as well as assistance in protecting intellectual property through the filing of patents. After the incubation period, three winners of the challenge will be selected.

Applications will open after the 2020 Lunar New Year, and Qualcomm will hold roadshows in multiple cities in Vietnam next year to offer town hall-style information sessions about the challenge. Details of the application process will be announced at a later date on Qualcomm Vietnam’s website.

Addressing the event, Tran Van Tung, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology, said, “We hope to set an example in innovation and entrepreneurship with the Qualcomm Vietnam Innovation Challenge. The MoST is committed to fostering the growth of domestic innovation in these important technology areas. We are very pleased to have this opportunity to work with Qualcomm to create a platform for people and startups with innovative ideas in Vietnam.”

According to Alex Rogers, executive vice president and president, Qualcomm Technology Licensing, Qualcomm is fundamentally a technology R&D engine – inventing the foundational technologies that change the way the world connects, computes, and communicates and building ecosystems of companies who innovate on top of those core inventions. “We are happy to announce this new programme to stimulate innovation, product development, and intellectual property awareness in Vietnam.”

"At Qualcomm, we have always been very passionate about innovation. The Qualcomm Vietnam Innovation Challenge is an exciting new programme that builds on Qualcomm’s close work with Vietnam’s growing mobile technology industry over the past several years,” said Jim Cathey, senior vice president and president, global business operations, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “We are proud to collaborate with the MoST to support the development of Vietnam’s domestic technology capabilities and help local companies realise their global ambitions.”

As a technology giant, Qualcomm invents breakthrough technologies that transform how the world connects, computes, and communicates. Today, its inventions are the foundation for life-changing products, experiences, and industries. As it leads the world to 5G, it envisions this next big change in cellular technology spurring a new era of intelligent, connected devices and enabling new opportunities in connected cars, remote delivery of health care services, and the IoT – including smart cities, smart homes, and wearables.

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