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.

Since the beginning of 2010, science, technology and innovation have been playing an increasingly important role in the socio-economic development of Vietnam.

A collage with various landmarks from Vietnam

Today, the state is still the biggest funder of research, with the lion’s share of the budget allocated to government R&D institutes. The national gross expenditure on R&D (GERD) in 2016 was about 0.21 per cent of the country’s GDP, but nearly 81 per cent of that was accounted for by the public sector.

As a result, the Government of Vietnam has recently been focusing on a few key strategic tasks to reshape its innovation ecosystem, including:

  • Reforming the management and operational mechanisms of organisations involved in the science and technology (S&T) sector;
  • Increasing state expenditure levels and prioritising expenditure on national S&T initiatives and products, including promoting firms investing in S&T development;
  • Linking the development of a strong S&T national market with the enforcement of a law on intellectual property, to boost technology R&D and encourage innovation;
  • Enhancing the international integration of Vietnamese science and technology products and services.

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.

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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.

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Silvia Pau

Silvia Pau

Silvia Pau

Assistant Programme Manager, A Fairer Start mission

Silvia is an Assistant Programme Manager.

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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.

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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.

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Nathan Kably

Nathan Kably

Nathan Kably

Senior Strategy Analyst

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

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