PM Pham Minh Chinh (middle) at the event. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attended the opening of the national festival forinnovative startups TECHFEST and Week for Ho Chi Minh City Innovation, Startupand Entrepreneurship WHISE 2021 via videoconference inHanoi on December 14.
The opening ceremony was held both online and offline in 63 cities andprovinces, and over 20 countries worldwide.
The TECHFEST-WHISE 2021 was co-organised by the Ministry of Science andTechnology (MoST), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ho Chi Minh City People’sCommittee and the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, featuring over 20activities.
In his speech, PM Chinh hailed achievements in innovation this year,which helped bring Vietnam to the 44th place out of 132 countries and economies interms of global innovation, and the first position among 34 middle-income countries.
Hestressed that all sectors, localities, businesses and people must make efforts for innovation and creativity for the sake of national interests.
In theimmediate future, innovation efforts should focus on the fight against COVID-19, economicrecovery and development, as well as emerging issues such as climate change,exhaustion of natural resources, aging population, non-traditional securityissues, green growth, digital transformation, and those in health care,education, agriculture and poverty reduction.
He askedministries and agencies to continue fine-tuning mechanisms and attractingresources for innovation and startups, particularly financial resources from investors, professionalinvestment funds, international organisations and the community.
Ministerof Science and Technology Huynh Thanh Dat, for his part, said over 1.3 billionUSD was poured into Vietnamese start-ups this year, a record figure despite thepandemic. Over 140 universities and colleges nationwide also launched start-upactivities, drawing the attention of major groups as financial investors.
Atthe event, PM Chinh also witnessed the signing of cooperation agreements between the MoSTand several major corporations and groups./.
