Supporting and Promoting Ideas on Innovation and Start-Up in ICT Industry

 

 

Da Nang City has been identified to play a central role for entrepreneurial development in the Central Coast and Central Highlands Region. Nevertheless, approximately 95 percent of enterprises are small and medium size with low competitiveness. It is caused mostly by students’ shortages of startup skills, creative thinking, independence, teamwork ability and other necessary soft skills.

 

“Incubation of Start-up and Innovation ideas on Information Technology – PISI-CIT” is a program supporting and funding ideas on innovation and start-up in major of Information Communication and Technology for students in the Central and Central Highland Region. This program is launched and carried out under the collaboration of College of Information Technology – The University of Da Nang, training organizations and IT corporations, sponsored by the project “Innovation Partnership Program” (IPP).

 

This program has great significance in promoting creativity, dynamic thoughts, ideas of doing startup, and helping students to actualize their dreams of doing business and developing IT innovative products.         

This program is a step-by-step actualization to achieve long-term goals that The University of Da Nang and all member ones do their utmost to accomplish; that is to drive The University of Da Nang to become Research University by 2020. In addition, it gradually contributes to successfully implement plan of establishing University of Information Technology and Communications as member of The University of Da Nang, which has been submitted to Chancellor.

Officially launched on 8/15/2015, hitherto, the program has succeeded beyond initial expectations. The program has spread and attracted great interest of students from nearly 200 high schools, colleges and universities of the Central Coast – Central Highlands Vietnam. There were 27 potential start-up and innovation projects sent express of interest to the program. In particular, it should be noted that this program has gotten attendance, companion and positive support from about 40 domestic and international experts, organizations and corporations.

 

After online evaluation conducted by the Evaluation Board included experts from prestigious domestic and international organization and corporations, there were 20 selected projects in One on One final round where experts will directly interview and discuss with ideas authors in the morning of October, 09^th 2015 at the University of Danang - College of Information Technology.

At the workshop, the start-up and innovation teams had opportunities to present their ideas to the experts whom would consult and evaluate the ideas. Regarding to the evaluation, the most potential projects would be chosen for being funded. Besides, in order to have enough ability to launch ideas, all of the individuals or groups who propose the prospective ideas would be supported and freely trained by experienced experts invited from organizations and enterprises. Supporting and training are as follows: training entrepreneurship, skills, business management and legal procedures; consulting solutions to complete and launch the ideas; supporting and training techniques and technology to implement the ideas; supporting to launch and experiment the ideas in ICT incubators and large enterprises.

 

In the framework of the workshop, representatives of PISI-CIT also signed a memorandum of understanding with supportive partners who offer technical assistance and innovative experimental space for the selected ideas.

In addition to start-up and creative teams as well as the Evaluation Board, the workshop attracted the attention and participation of nearly 300 delegates and students from high schools, colleges, universities, and other local and international organizations and corporations. Specifically, participants in the workshop and One on One round, there were Asso. Prof. Ngo Van Duong, Deputy Director of UD, PhD. Nguyen Quang Thanh, Deputy Director of Department of Information and Communications in Danang city as well as leaders and representatives of the sponsors such as IPP, Lotus Fund, IBM, Microsoft , Gameloft, Green Global, Action Coach, Axon Active Vietnam, Global Cybersoft, etc.

The program will incubate a lot of ideas so that they can be commercialized and bring economic value to society as well as has great significance in promoting creativity, dynamic thoughts and doing startup movement in the Central Coast – Central Highlands region in general and Danang city in particular.