Innovation Partnership Programme (IPP), Phase II

Description What is done in the programme or project and why, what results are pursued, who benefits from the activities and who are involved in the implementation.

In 2010, Vietnam gained a lower middle-income country status due to rapid economic growth, and, by 2020, Vietnam ambitiously aspires to become a modern industrialized country. To achieve this goal it is critical for Vietnam to develop a functioning national innovation system. In addition, innovations are central to the creation of new employment and improving competitiveness of the country. At present Vietnam’s national innovation system includes basically all the elements necessary for the development of innovations: businesses, universities, research institutes and public sector actors. Also, a legislative framework is in order. Innovation system is, however, inoperative. The reasons for this are the lack of cooperation between different actors, weak institutional capacity and the lack of funding for innovations. To improve the situation, Finland supports Vietnam in developing its national innovation system with the Innovation Partnership Programme (IPP). Launched in 2009, IPP is the first development programme between the Government of Finland and the Government of Vietnam in the science and technology sector. It answers well to the challenges Vietnam faces now as a lower middle-income country. As a result of its economic and social development as well as its public and private sector competence, Finland can afford a significant added value for Vietnam in developing knowledge based society. IPP has also in an important role in achieving a goal set in the Finland’s Development Policy Programme 2012: traditional grant-based bilateral development cooperation with Vietnam will decrease and give way to more comprehensive partnerships between the two countries. Planned to span for five years (2013–2018), IPP II builds on the foundation laid during the first phase of the programme. IPP II endeavours to create an ‘innovation ecosystem’ that strengthens the expertise and competence of all multi helix stakeholders as well as the awareness of stakeholders about each others’ roles. The goal is to develop an approach that multiplies the number of innovative products and services, thus creating added value and employment. IPP II has three result areas: 1) strengthened institutional capacity of multi-helix stakeholders, 2) increased number of the partnerships between the stakeholders and 3) innovative products and services created. As IPP I, the phase II of the programme is implemented by Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST).