IPP promotes support for VN enterprises

The Innovation Partnership Programme has gone through more than half of its cycle, the Science Activities Review (Hoat Dong Khoa Hoc)under MOST interviewed the Programmed Director Dr. Tran Quoc Thang on the initial results and prospect for the Programmed. Excerps from the interview.

Since the start of 2011, IPP has been supporting enterprises with their innovations some of which highly valuable to community and society such as the projects for LED lamps for fishing boats in Da nang, use of wastes from Tra and Basa fish production, functional food from forest products etc. IPP support to enterprises has become growingly popular through road shows and particularly forums with enterprises held in the 8 provinces in 3 parts of Viet Nam. We have received some 300 proposals and selected some 30 good ones for support. IPP is also clearing procedures for extending the pro- programme for one more year (that is by August 2013), as recommended by the Mid- Term Review experts to assure sufficient time for implementation of signed subprojects.  What IPP has gone through can be considered the preparatory and trial period. In the second phase, we shall accelerate the implementation with focus on support to the enterprises.

Enterprises play the pivotal role in economic development. Taking enterprises as the focal point of innovations is also the strategic task of MOST. By supporting innovations in enterprises IPP will join other existing national programmes approved by the Prime Minister such as ones for technological renovations; productivity and quality, high-tech development etc. Vietnam currently has about 200,000 registered enterprises and some family-type enterprises The role of both State and private enteprises in R&D is still limited. R&D departments only exist in big corporations. SMEs are usually not familiar with the quest of tools and R&D results. To encourage innovations, the Law on Enterprises request enterprises to invest 10% of pre-tax profits on innovations. However, this fund has not been used effectively. The task of IPP is to identify the most potential partners among the enterprises for common growth (female-owned and run enterprises are given priority by IPP).

An enterprise with innovative ideas on its product or service shall be given financial support
from IPP. First, IPP shall consider to provide, at the highest level, grant accounting for 75% of funds needed for an innovation. Second, IP shall provide expertise to resolve all issues relating to innovations, business models, introduction of experts for the relevant enterprises. Third, IPP shall identify and find suitable business partners for the project. In particular we shall help enterprises to establish business partnerships with Finnish counterparts.

First of all, enterprises should have new and creative ideas in business and/or production. Such ideas should have potential for new products and/or business. Priority is given to projects in ICT, clean technology, biotechnology etc. Enterprises can directly contact IPP Office at 27
Hang Bai street Hanoi or via website http://ipp.gov.vn or http://oif.vn. IPP experts shall join in
planning, obtaining financial support and building strategies to Second, enterprises need to improve their management capacity, build suitable business models, links with knowledge producers. They should be aware that innovation is the key to success of enterprises.

Thank you./.


The 10th IPP Steering Committee (SC) Meeting

The 10th meeting of the IPP steering committee will be held in Tam Dao (Hanoi)on March 14th under the cochairmanship of Dr. Tran Quoc Thang, PMU Director and Mr. Janne Sykko, ounsellor, Embassy of Finland.

It will discuss the status of the programme and approve the 2011 Annual Report. High in the agenda will be discussions about and decision making on a number of innovative proposals screened by the PMU in recent months. Changes to be announced in the membership of the Steering Committee and the PMU include: Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Song- Deputy General Director of the Planning and Finance Department shall replace Ms. Nghiem Thi Minh Hoa-Also Deputy General Director of the same Department. In the PMU, Dr. Mai Ha, General Director of the Department of International Cooperation Deputy Director of the PMU, replacing Dr. Thach Can.
Other items include status of the extension procedure and results of the HRD bidding conducted in the period under review./.

Finnish MFA’s high-ranking officer works with IPP

During his stay in Viet Nam, Mr. Pulkkinen will work with the leaders and staff of the Innovation Partnership Programme (IPP) which has been supporting a wide range of sub-projects on innovations in 7 project provinces.

The Finnish advisor shall also visit the Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HTU), the National Agency for Science and Technology Information (NASATI), the National Institute for Science and Technology Policy and Strategy, Finpro, Saigon High Tech Business Incubator, Viet Nam National University and various projects being supported by IPP.

One major subject for discussion between the MFA advisor and IPP and government officials will be the 1-year extension of Phase 1 of IPP, which is about to end in August this year and the possibility to plan for Phase 2 of IPP./.

Center for Health & Community Development (Center) is a social organization under Vietnam Economics Sciences Association and it has recently established a community platform called Life TV (www.lifetv.vn ).

The Life TV has an interactive TV platform that broadcasts about important themes such as environment, health, clean energy and rural development. Life TV also promotes innovations in its programmes, such as featuring New Innovator and Rural Innovation –series. Life TV also cooperates closely with VNPT to endorse these themes. The official launching ceremony of Life TV took place in December 2011 where there were participants from Ministry of Information and Communication, Innovation Partnership Programme and Embassy of
Finland.

In order to serve its audience better across a range of platforms, Life TV has partnered up with Axel Technologies, a Finnish high-tech solution whose innovative platform Fuugo enables Life TV to be upgraded to a new level. On Fuugo –platform, Life TV can be accessed through all the Android powered devices like mobile phones and tablets. Fuugo provides a more versatile user experience than the ordinary video streaming mobile-devices thus giving an incentive for the potential audience to access and for the existing visit Life TV service more frequently.

For Axel technologies, the partnership with Life TV is a first step to be established in the Vietnamese market. Axel is already well positioned in Asian market with the presence in Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan so the expansion to the Vietnamese market is a logical move for the company.

For Innovation Partnership Programme, Life TV & Axel - partnership is a good model for technology partnership, the Finnish-based innovation enhances the local-based Life TV service that also disseminates information about important themes for IPP. IPP hopes that this could be a good model for other Finnish companies in the ICT sector and the Finnish applications could add value for other services in the Vietnamese market.

The Vietnamese interest towards Axel Technologies’ solutions and other mobile-based ICT-applications is becoming stronger as the seminar on the mobile TV drew an active participation from the local audience. It is obvious that Fuugo would have more demand in the local market and partnership with Life TV would get continuation in cooperation with other partners as well.

To get to know LifeTV better and see their programmes and activities, please visit their home page: www.lifetv.vn To get familiar with Axel Technologies and its Fuugo solution, please take a look at website www.fuugo.tv./.

Dyeing by Natural colorants

Dye plants have been used for thousands of years. Until the late 1800s when synthetic dyes came into common use, textile colors came from the use of natural dyes. Natural dyeing can, however, easily become the future. Natural dyes are a renewable resource and not dependent on petroleum as are many synthetic dyes.

Most natural dyes come from dye plants, the best known ones including Indian almond, eucalyptus, Camellia sinensis and others, each producing a different color. Natural dyes from plants may also have dozens of compounds.

In Hanoi, Associate Professor Hoang Thi Linh, lecturer at Hanoi University of Technology has been spending 15 years on natural colorants.

The know-how in making natural dyes from local plants rests with this expert. In a broad sense, the following processes can be envisaged: gathering leaves, drying and treatment of leaves to produce colorants before the dying process can begin. Plant dyes use no toxic or polluting chemicals, and the organic matter left over from dye plants can be put on the compost. Naturally dyed cloth produces a very pleasant smell.

For more information, you can see the following link:

http://lifetv.vn/show-video/vai-nhuom-bang-lacay-phan-1