Development orientation for innovation center

Citizens and businesses visit booths displaying digital technology and innovative products at Techfest Dong Nai 2025. Photo: Hai Quan

The city aims to establish an innovation center to serve as a hub for connecting ideas, technology, human capital, and investment resources while effectively promoting cooperation among the State, businesses, research institutes, universities, and investors.

Meeting new development demands

Science and technology, innovation, and digital transformation are currently emerging as key drivers of economic growth and enhanced local competitiveness. As Dong Nai enters a new phase of development after becoming Vietnam’s seventh city, the focus is not only on rapid growth but also on sustainable development grounded in knowledge, technology, and innovation. In this context, the establishment and development of a city-level innovation center will provide a foundation for strengthening the local innovation, science, and technology ecosystem.

One of the key objectives of Dong Nai’s Plan for the Development of the Innovation System and Innovative Startup Ecosystem for the 2026–2030 period is the establishment of the Dong Nai Innovation and Digital Transformation Center. The plan also targets the development of at least one innovation hub or creative space in each commune and ward by 2030.

According to the Dong Nai Department of Science and Technology, the innovation center is expected to play a core role in promoting the connection of creative ideas and technology transfer through strategic advisory activities and support for monitoring and controlling annual innovation indicators to enable timely adjustments to innovation development plans. The center will also coordinate innovation infrastructure development, connect innovation networks among localities, and collect proposals from 95 communes and wards in the city to commission research institutes and universities to study and develop appropriate solutions. At the same time, the center will serve as a hub for technology consultancy, the application of artificial intelligence, big data, and other emerging technologies, while supporting enterprises in protecting intellectual property rights. Through these activities, the center is expected to thereby translate policy mechanisms into practical value for startup and innovation initiatives.

Deputy Director of the Department of Science and Technology Vo Hoang Khai said that Dong Nai has identified the establishment and development of a city-level innovation center, together with a network of innovation hubs across agencies and localities, as a strategically significant task that will create an important foundation for promoting the innovation ecosystem.

The initiative is expected to strengthen connections among research institutes, universities, businesses, and investors; support enterprises in technological innovation; foster creative startups; and enhance the locality’s competitiveness in the new development phase.

The Department of Science and Technology will seek in-depth consultations on the organizational and operational model of the innovation center, study the experiences of organizations and localities that have effectively developed innovation centers, and explore mechanisms to attract social resources, investment funds, and high-quality human resources. The department will also connect innovation activities with industrial parks, enterprises, and the education and training system.

Boosting collaboration for development

According to experts, Dong Nai should prioritize the development of an innovation center, a high-tech park, a shared data system, and digital platforms to support businesses in the coming years. At the same time, the city should establish specialized high-tech experimental laboratories (FabLabs) to directly serve key economic sectors while studying and proposing the application of controlled testing mechanisms, or sandboxes, for new products and services. These are foundational conditions for effective connectivity with regional knowledge and innovation centers.

Head of the Creative Space Development Board at the National Innovation Center (NIC) Le Thi Minh Anh said that Dong Nai should strengthen value chain connectivity through innovation activities while focusing on developing high-quality human resources in the new development context. Regarding the establishment of a city-level innovation center, she suggested that the locality study and orient the center’s development in line with international models. Under this approach, the center would operate as a hub or integrated complex designed to incubate, support, and connect innovation activities, with key functions including startup support, technology incubation, and connecting businesses with experts and investors, as well as testing, demonstrating, and transferring technology.

At the scientific seminar on the “Orientation for the Operations of the City-Level Innovation Center and Innovation Centers at Agencies and Localities in Dong Nai City,” organized by the Department of Science and Technology in early May 2026, Acting Director of the Startup & Innovation Hub of Ho Chi Minh City (SIHUB) Dang Thi Luan shared practical information and experience in developing a creative startup ecosystem at the center.

According to Dang Thi Luan, the center currently serves as a hub for connecting the innovation ecosystem and strengthening the creative startup capacity of enterprises while promoting innovation in the public sectors, such as healthcare, education, and logistics. The center is also oriented toward expanding regional cooperation and strengthening links with innovation centers in other localities, including Dong Nai, to leverage resources generated through cooperation among businesses, research institutes, universities, the State, and investors to advance startup and innovation activities.

In the coming period, the science and technology sector will advise on the establishment of the City Innovation and Digital Transformation Center while developing science and technology zones and incubators, and ensuring that each commune and ward has at least one creative space. The city will also establish venture capital funds to support startups, thereby creating favorable conditions for scientists and businesses to fully promote their creative potential.

Pham Van Trinh, City Party Committee Member

and Director of Dong Nai Department of Science and Technology