About Nesta

Nesta is an innovation foundation. For us, innovation means turning bold ideas into reality and changing lives for the better. We use our expertise, skills and funding in areas where there are big challenges facing society.

A graphic outlining the priorities for innovation policymakers in Vietnam: focus on policy implementation; agile policy development; evidence to inform policy and practice; skills development; stronger coordination; innovation awareness

A greater focus on policy implementation (as well as design)

We found that policymakers are interested in analysing examples (successful and unsuccessful) of both the formulation and implementation of innovation policy, and the opportunities this can bring.

‘So far, Vietnam has developed many policies to promote innovation but policy implementation is still a challenge.’

More agile policy development

In particular, procedures for small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) support programmes are too slow and trigger a loss of opportunities for businesses. For example, in 2011 a business submitted a proposal through the High Technology Programme to develop a taxi application (similar to Uber or Grab), which was only approved in 2015, by which time Uber and Grab had become very popular in Vietnam.

Increased use of evidence to inform policy and practice

The development and formulation of new innovation policies should be informed by robust evidence, yet currently this rarely happens. However, there is a strong desire among policymakers to understand the specific information, research and figures that can demonstrate and underpin successes and failures. Vietnamese policymakers are also keen to build and share understanding around how best to assess the impact of innovation policies.

‘Supporting and boosting innovation is not strong enough, we are still lacking tipping point policy tools.’

Developing skills that can be applied in daily work

Innovation policymakers are keen to share and learn experiences from the UK and other countries taking part in training programmes, to improve coordination among stakeholders in the development of innovation policies, and to take part in tangible training programmes with methods that are applicable to daily work.

Stronger communication and coordination across institutions

Collaboration and coordination on innovation policy among ministries is limited, causing overlap and policy implementation difficulties. The Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) is responsible for innovation in Vietnam but there is little coordination between MOST and other ministries, especially when it comes to sharing information on innovation programmes.

It is important to know what others are doing in terms of innovation, to coordinate between ministries, avoid duplication and ensure the innovation system operates effectively. Strong communication between government, researchers/academia and industry is also key, to engage people effectively in technology transfer, build innovation capacity in small and medium-sized businesses, and ensure the results from research institutes meet the requirements of industry.

Spread innovation awareness and knowledge across the board

Innovation is a relatively new concept in Vietnam, so it is important to provide basic information on key concepts, including what innovation means in practice (the definition), effective innovation management, how a strong network of innovation agencies can best function, and how to build thriving innovation ecosystems.

Understanding how to manage public venture capital funds and encourage private investment in the Vietnamese economy are also important areas of focus for innovation policymakers, as is the management and implementation of policies and programmes to encourage and support entrepreneurs.

Authors

Florence Engasser

Florence Engasser

Florence Engasser

Senior Foresight Analyst

Florence was a senior foresight analyst within Nesta’s Discovery Hub, which aims to create a link between Nesta’s current portfolio and our pipeline of future work.

View profile
Benjamin Reid

Benjamin Reid

Benjamin Reid

Head of International Innovation - Development Programmes

Benjamin was head of the International Innovation team within Nesta's Policy and Research division.

View profile
Silvia Pau

Silvia Pau

Silvia Pau

Assistant Programme Manager, A Fairer Start mission

Silvia is an Assistant Programme Manager.

View profile
Paulina Gonzalez-Ortega

Paulina Gonzalez-Ortega

Paulina Gonzalez-Ortega

Design Lead, International Innovation

Paulina was the Design Lead for the Global Innovation Policy Accelerator, a 14-country collaborative development programme for senior innovation policymakers.

View profile
Anna Schlimm

Anna Schlimm

Anna Schlimm

Learning Experience Designer, Global Innovation Policy Accelerator

Anna was a Learning Experience Designer for the Global Innovation Policy Accelerator.

View profile
Nathan Kably

Nathan Kably

Nathan Kably

Senior Strategy Analyst

Nathan worked on the design and delivery of Nesta's strategy

View profile