IPP’s overall objective is to actively contribute to the implementation of Vietnam’s development goals: “By 2020, Vietnam will be an industrial country with the average income and knowledge-based economy and the National Creative Innovation System which can actively Viet Nam support the social and economic development cause”. Through IPP, legal document framework encouraging S&T and creative innovation will be more completed; S&T management capacities strengthened; cooperation between the State and private sector promoted through the Open Innovation Forum (OIF); innovation linkages between Finland and Vietnam promoted.
The early stage of IPP will be started from August 8, 2009, and the program will last for 3 years until 2012 with the budget of EUR 3 million funded by the Finish Government as aid. The Vietnamese Government will contribute about VDN 9.5 billion (equivalent to USD 0.55 million) for the Program implementation. This stage will focus on 4 main components:
Firstly, to assist MOST with completing the legal document system, focusing on the promotion of creative innovation in research and enterprise communities.
Secondly, to improve capacities of S&T management staff, especially managers of Ministries, universities, departments and enterprises.
Thirdly, to establish the open innovation forum. This will be a playground; the meeting place between policy makers and universities, research institutes and enterprises on creative innovation.
Fourthly, to connect research communities with technology using communities of Vietnam and Finland.
Delivering a speech at the Signing ceremony, Deputy Minister Tran Quoc Thang said “Finland is one of the good examples in terms of the success in the world, from one country depending on agriculture it has become a precious country based on knowledge and creative innovation. Through this program, Finland will share its successful experience in making S&T and creative innovation to be the motivation for the social and economic development. This is also the Vietnamese government’s decisive strategy, which defines S&T as one of motivations for the social and economic development.”
MOST has also affirmed the high commitment and creation of favorable conditions for the Program to be successful and expressed desires to continue provision of good cooperation from Finland during the implementation so that IPP can be successful, meeting expectations of the Governments of the two countries as well ensuring the sustainability of results brought in by the Program.
The Finnish Ambassador has shared “Cooperative relations between Vietnam and Finland have long tradition. Vietnamese country is developing with very fast and dynamic speed. Through this Program, Finland hopes it can be able to share experience with Vietnam in developing the institutional environment, encouraging the development of knowledge-based economy in Vietnam. Finland also hopes through IPP innovation enterprises and research units will be connected. The Finnish party has entirely believed that the newly-signed IPP Program will prove close relationships between the two countries, contributing to shifting the traditional relationships and cooperation forms into new and better forms”.