Vietnam Higher Education Network of Entrepreneurship & Innovation Summit 2025: Implementing Resolution 57 to Promote National Science, Technology and Innovation

15 Apr, 2025

On April 12, 2025, the Vietnam Higher Education Network of Entrepreneurship & Innovation Summit - VNEI INNOVATION SUMMIT 2025 - a premier event organized by the Vietnam Higher Education Network of Entrepreneurship & Innovation (VNEI) in collaboration with the National Innovation Center (NIC) and the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) officially took place. Within a national scale, the conference brought together representative leaders of Universities, Colleges, Government agencies, leading experts, and innovation enterprises to jointly realize Resolution 57 on promoting national science, technology, and innovation.

In 2025, University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City will be the host of the VNEI INNOVATION SUMMIT 2025 with the theme "The role of higher education institutions in realizing Resolution No. 57/NQ-TW on science, technology development, innovation and national digital transformation". The conference is organized in the context that the entire country is urgently and resolutely building and implementing an action plan for Resolution 57-NQ/TW and Resolution 03/NQ-CP of the Government to promote strong socio-economic development in the national development era. Therefore, this is an important forum to strengthen the connection between higher education institutions, policy-making agencies, and innovation enterprises in synchronously implementing national strategies on science, technology development, innovation, and national digital transformation.

The conference was attended by Mr. Tran Nam Tu - Deputy Director of the Department of Science, Technology and Information, Ministry of Education and Training; Mr. Pham Duc Nghiem - Deputy Director, Department of Startups and Technology Enterprises, Ministry of Science and Technology; Mr. Le Thanh Minh - Deputy Director of the Department of Science and Technology of Ho Chi Minh City; Mr. Nguyen Minh Hai - Director of the Department of Science and Technology of Long An province; Ms. Doan Hong Hanh - Director of the Department of Science and Technology of Vinh Long province; Mr. Nguyen Ky - Deputy Director of the Department of Science and Technology of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province and leaders of universities, colleges, government agencies, leading experts and innovation enterprises in the whole country. On behalf of the organizing and hosting unit, there was the participation of Mr. Do Tien Thinh - Deputy Director of the National Innovation Center; Dr. Nguyen Trung Dung - Chairman of VNEI, General Director of BK Holdings; Prof. Dr. Su Dinh Thanh - President of UEH; Dr. Dinh Cong Khai - Vice President of UEH; Assoc.Prof.Dr. Phan Thi Bich Nguyet - Chairwoman of the Strategy and Policy Council and Director of the UEH Institute of Innovation; together with leaders of member colleges, departments/offices, interested lecturers and staff.

Overview of the conference

Addressing the conference, Prof. Dr. Su Dinh Thanh - President of UEH - emphasized: “Resolution 57-NQ/TW is particularly significant for education as higher education institutions must both train high-quality human resources at international standards and carry out scientific and technological research and innovation activities to anticipate and to master the most advanced technologies. Resolution 57-NQ/TW has opened a new chapter for Vietnamese higher education with many opportunities and challenges. The synergy between higher education institutions, businesses, and the community, along with the spirit of continuous innovation, will help the university system make worthy contributions to the development of science, technology, innovation, and national digital transformation.

At UEH, innovation and entrepreneurship activities are not limited to students but have expanded to middle/high school students, Vietnamese and Southeast Asian startups through training programs, startup competitions, UEH Biztech Hackathon, Sandbox, incubation, and acceleration programs. Up to now, UEH has supported and incubated more than 150 startup projects, with about 40% of the projects having established companies and the total investment capital in the seed stage reaching nearly 700,000 USD. These achievements affirm UEH's continuous efforts in building and developing a sustainable innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem."

Prof. Dr. Su Dinh Thanh delivered the opening speech at the Conference.

The conference selects 05 outstanding articles to be reported, the content revolves around emerging topics, is highly applicable, and closely related to the implementation of Resolution 57 in educational institutions, including:

- “VNEI – Strategic human resources for national innovation” - Dr. Nguyen Trung Dung, Chairman of VNEI Network and General Director of BK Holdings;

- “Suggestions for methods to promote innovation in parallel with public university autonomy” - Prof. Le Ngoc Hung, Head of the Editorial Board of the VNU Journal of Science: Education Research;

- “Innovation development policy system in the university sector” - Dr. Tran Nam Tu, Deputy Director, Department of Science, Technology and Information, Ministry of Education and Training;

- “UEH new focuses and the Government's new policy on developing innovative universities” - Dr. Christopher Han, Director of Innovation Strategy, University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City;

- “Building Innovation University Criteria: The World and Vietnam” - Assoc. Prof. Dr. Truong Thi Nam Thang, Vice President of VNEI; Principal Investigator, Institute for Innovation and Development Studies.

Founded from these speeches, experts have been involved in exchanges and discussions to clarify the strategic role of higher education in effectively implementing Resolution 57-NQ/TW, from the perspective of planning, enacting, and spreading impact.

Mr. Do Tien Thinh - Deputy Director of NIC - at the Conference

Dr. Nguyen Trung Dung - Chairman of VNEI, General Director of BK Holdings - presenting a speech on "Connecting universities and enterprises to effectively promote the spirit of Resolution 57"

Prof. Le Ngoc Hung - Editor-in-Chief of the VNU Journal of Science: Education Research - presenting the article "Suggestions for methods to promote innovation in parallel with public university autonomy"

Dr. Christopher Han - Director of UEH Innovation Strategy - presenting the paper "UEH new focuses and the Government's new policy on developing innovative universities"

Assoc.Prof.Dr. Truong Thi Nam Thang - Vice President of VNEI - presenting the article "Building Innovation University Criteria: The world and Vietnam"

Dr. Tran Nam Tu - Deputy Director, Department of Science, Technology and Information (Ministry of Education and Training) - presenting the article "The policy system for developing innovation in the university sector"

Mr. Keane Nguyen - Google Representative in Vietnam - introducing the software "NotebookLM: AI tool to catalyze research and innovation"

After the in-depth presentations, the program continued with a premier discussion session, a crucial highlight of the Conference with the theme: "Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW and the role of higher education institutions in the national innovation ecosystem". The discussion session opened up a space for lively discussions between policy makers, experts, and representatives of educational institutions on strategic solutions in effectively implementing Resolution 57, focusing on strengthening the key role of universities in connecting, leading, and spreading innovation nationwide. The discussion session was moderated by Mr. Pham Tuan Hiep - Project Director, BK Holdings - with the participation of prestigious guests:

- Mr. Do Tien Thinh - Deputy Director of NIC

- Mr. Pham Duc Nghiem - Deputy Director, Department of Science and Technology Enterprise and Market Development (NATEC), Ministry of Science and Technology

- Mr. Le Thanh Minh - Deputy Director of Department of Science and Technology of Ho Chi Minh City

- Assoc.Prof.Dr. Truong Ngoc Kiem - Vice President of VNEI; Director of Advanced Technology and Innovation Park

- Assoc.Prof.Dr. Phan Thi Bich Nguyet - Chairwoman of the Policy and Strategy Advisory Council, University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City

- Assoc.Prof.Dr. Le Thi Thu Ha - Former President of VNEI, Director of Innovation Center, Foreign Trade University

- Mr. Hua Phu Doan - Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City Medical Equipment Association, Chairman of Nguyen Tat Thanh University Business Club

Multidimensional perspectives from managers, experts, and university representatives have contributed to creating a comprehensive picture of the central role of higher education in the national innovation ecosystem, thereby proposing appropriate mechanisms and policies to promote close coordination between the Government, University, Enterprise, and Community in the period of strong digital transformation.

Discussion session with the theme "Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW and the role of higher education institutions in the national innovation ecosystem"

In addition, within the framework of the conference, there was also a "Certification Awarding Ceremony for members of the Vietnam Higher Education Network of Entrepreneurship & Innovation" marking the expansion of the network, increasing cooperation, and spreading the innovation culture in the Vietnamese higher education ecosystem. Concurrently, this conference suggests a criteria framework of initial assessment for "Innovative University" to support educational institutions in self-assessment, strategic positioning, and promoting the sustainable development of the innovative university model in the context of autonomy and integration.

Awarding certificates to members of the new Vietnam Higher Education Network of Entrepreneurship & Innovation

In the context of science, technology and innovation being considered as the driving force for national economic growth, connecting resources from universities with the needs of local communities to promote innovation capacity is extremely urgent. Building a 4P (Public - Private - People - Partnership) co-creation ecosystem will contribute to realizing the national strategy, in which higher education institutions play a central role in connecting, spreading, and creating value. With the vision of a multidisciplinary research university responsible for the sustainable development of the community, UEH always focuses on connecting academic knowledge with management and development practices in businesses and localities, contributing to the breakthrough development of the country.