Establishing an innovation ecosystem based on the "Three Houses" model.
On the afternoon of July 30th, the Nghe An Department of Science and Technology, in collaboration with Vinh University, organized a seminar on developing the innovation ecosystem in Nghe An province.
Attending the seminar were Comrade Thai Van Thanh - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, and representatives of leaders from departments, agencies, and localities, along with international experts from California State University and a large number of scientists and business people in the area.
During the period 2021-2025, Nghe An's innovation ecosystem has recorded promising progress with more than 100 innovative startups, 132 projects and project groups, along with a vibrant network of training facilities, economic zones, and industrial parks.
However, viewed objectively and seriously, the province's ecosystem has not yet developed in proportion to its potential and room for growth. The biggest limitation currently lies in the small scale of startup businesses, their growth capacity, and their low competitiveness. The commercialization rate of scientific research results is still low; and the links between training institutions, research institutes, and businesses have not yet become truly effective.
Notably, the entire province still lacks a competent and capable "coordinating hub" to effectively connect resources and solve major local problems using technology.
To thoroughly address these limitations, the project drafting team (Vinh University and the Department of Science and Technology) presented a proposed model for operating the Nghe An Innovation Ecosystem based on the close collaboration between three entities: the State, universities, and businesses. The focus of the project is the establishment of the Nghe An Provincial Innovation Center, which will act as the central coordinating hub, connecting the three specialized functional "Hubs."
This model operates on a shared digital platform, connecting and expanding to a network of colleges, research institutes, businesses, and localities throughout the province.
At the seminar, delegates and international experts focused on discussing key solutions to quickly implement the project. Accordingly, Nghe An province identified major directions including: focusing on building a shared digital data infrastructure; promoting the attraction of foreign direct investment (FDI) linked to the transfer of new technologies; developing tourism as a key economic sector; and upgrading logistics infrastructure connecting the North Central region with Laos and Thailand.
In particular, the seminar emphasized the application of digital technology and traceability solutions to enhance and commercialize over 500 OCOP products from Nghe An province in the international market. Cooperation with professors and experts from California State University and Carnegie Mellon University (USA) will help the province improve its governance mechanisms, operational methods for the center, and train high-level human resources for the period after 2030.
Speaking at the seminar, Vice Chairman of the Nghe An Provincial People's Committee, Thai Van Thanh, emphasized that Nghe An has a smart, diligent, and creative workforce, but access to digital technology and digital transformation remains a bottleneck. The establishment and operation of the Nghe An Provincial Innovation Center is expected to create new momentum, unlock all intellectual resources, and make science and technology a key driving force for the rapid and sustainable socio-economic development of the province.
