UEH’s UII Institute Honored as an Outstanding Entrepreneurship Unit in 2025

15 Apr, 2026

The Institute of Innovation (UII) of the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) has been recognized by the Ministry of Education and Training as an outstanding unit for entrepreneurship activities in 2025. This achievement further acknowledges the contributions of UII in particular, and UEH as a whole, in fostering an innovation-driven mindset, supporting learners in developing projects, and progressively spreading entrepreneurial values within the community.

According to Announcement No. 624/TB-BGDĐT dated April 15, 2026, issued by the Ministry of Education and Training, the UEH Institute of Innovation (UII) is among 25 organizations nationwide honored for outstanding entrepreneurship activities in 2025. In addition, Mr. Truong Vy Hieu from UII was recognized in the outstanding individuals category. This milestone marks a continued step in the development of the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem that UII has consistently built over the years.

Memorable moments of outstanding projects with the Jury Panel at UII Sandbox: Showcase Day 2025

In 2025, the UEH Institute of Innovation (UII) continued to strengthen its entrepreneurship support programs through a structured approach that covers stages from ideation to incubation and project development. Notably, UEH BizTech Hackathon 2025 attracted 323 registrations from 32 universities both domestically and internationally, with 31 teams and 150 students advancing to the final round. The program also featured 6 workshops, 28 hours of hackathon activities, and 92 mentoring sessions. At the same time, UII Sandbox 2025 recorded 77 startup ideas, bringing together 231 students from 16 universities. Following training and selection rounds, 22 projects were chosen for the incubation phase, supported by 10 in-depth workshops, mentoring sessions, and growth sessions.

As a result, many student-led startup projects have achieved high recognition in entrepreneurship and innovation competitions at various levels.

Grand Final and Award Ceremony of UEH BizTech Hackathon 2025: “Fostering Vietnam’s Values by the Z Generation”

At the advanced support level, the UII Startup Incubator continued to implement a 6-month Incubation Program for 10 early-stage startups. The program delivered 20 in-depth training sessions, 100 mentoring and consulting sessions, and addressed 38 specialized support requests from participating projects. During Demo Day 2025, 13 startups connected with 10 venture capital funds, 3 accelerators, and 6 angel investors, thereby expanding fundraising and market-access opportunities.

Demo Day 2025 and the mission to develop a sustainable regional innovation ecosystem

Another highlight of the year was UII’s implementation of the science and technology project titled “Incubating digital transformation-driven innovative startups for sustainable development,” commissioned by Ho Chi Minh City. From 47 applications, 10 projects were selected for a 6-month incubation program. The results included 100% of projects developing MVPs, 6 out of 10 generating revenue, 2 establishing companies, and more than 15 business partnerships formed. This model has also been commissioned for transfer by the Departments of Science and Technology of An Giang and Ca Mau, demonstrating its practical applicability and scalability.

UEH Institute of Innovation and the Department of Science and Technology of An Giang sign a model transfer agreement

Beyond individual programs, UII continued to expand its innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. In 2025, the Institute built a startup community of over 6,200 members, organized more than 50 networking and incubation events, and supported 36 startup projects. Among these, 13 projects established companies and secured paying customers. The total funding raised by incubated startups reached USD 1.5 million by the end of 2025. These results reflect the tangible impact of incubation activities and UII’s strategic focus on deep, market-oriented ecosystem development.

In parallel, UII further expanded both domestic and international collaborations. Notably, ICIA Global 2025 welcomed over 400 delegates from more than 20 countries, featuring 137 innovation projects and 17 international startups. The Institute also maintained partnerships with organizations such as SMU, GIZ, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, and various investment funds and startup support organizations. In 2025, UII mobilized over VND 1.4 billion from domestic and international partners to support research, training, and startup incubation programs.

Opening Ceremony of the ICIA 2025 Final Round held at Hall B1.302 – University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City

The Institute of Innovation was also assigned by the UEH College of Technology and Design to co-implement the “Digital Skills to Succeed (DS2S)” project, carried out by GIZ on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in Vietnam, India, and Bangladesh. Within this project, UII co-designed and delivered the FMC3 – Foundations of Digital Entrepreneurship course, focusing on the development of digital entrepreneurial capabilities. The course has been widely deployed across 16 universities in the three countries and officially integrated into India’s national digital education platform, thereby extending UII’s international impact in innovation and entrepreneurship education.

UEH Institute of Innovation (UII) was honored with a Certificate of Merit by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh for outstanding contributions to student entrepreneurship support

Being recognized by the Ministry of Education and Training as an outstanding unit for entrepreneurship activities in 2025 further affirms UII’s role in fostering entrepreneurial spirit, connecting resources, and spreading innovation values within the learner community. Previously, the Institute has received numerous honors, including “Advanced Labor Collective,” “Excellent Labor Collective,” and “Unit of the Year.” It was also awarded the Ho Chi Minh City I-Star Award 2021, ranked among the Top 10 Best University Incubators in Asia (AsiaStar 10x10 Launchpad 2022), recognized as a Top 5 organization in the Vietnam Network of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (VNEI), and granted a Certificate of Merit by the Prime Minister for outstanding contributions to supporting student entrepreneurship and promoting the national innovation ecosystem during 2017–2025.

Pillars: Education – Research – Community

Project: UEH Connecting

News, photos: UII, Department of Communications and Partnerships