NIIC HOLDS CLOSING CEREMONY OF EVENTS TO CELEBRATE THE WEEK OF CREATIVE INNOVATION, ENTREPRENEURSHIP OF HO CHI MINH CITY 2021

On November 7, 2021, Nguyen Tat Thanh University’s Innovation and Startup Incubation Center held a ceremony to summarize the events celebrating the 2021 Innovation and Entrepreneurship Week in Ho Chi Minh City, as well as successfully organized the Awarding Ceremony of the Students with Innovative Start-up Ideas Contest.

At the closing ceremony, the Organizing Committee sent sincere thanks to the Board of Presidents of Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Ho Chi Minh City Student Cultural House, Southern National Startup Support and Advisory Council, Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science and Technology, Tan Viet My Trading Service Company Limited, Life Gift Vietnam Investment and Production Company. The committee expressed their appreciation to the speakers, the participating organizations, instructors and mentors who have accompanied NTTU’s startup activities, empowering and inspiring the spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tran Thi Hong – Vice President of Nguyen Tat Thanh University speaking at the Closing Ceremony

In addition, the NTTU Innovation and Startup Incubation Center concluded all the events organized in the series of activities to celebrate the 2021 Innovation and Entrepreneurship Week in Ho Chi Minh City.

Organizing PR activities on innovation and entrepreneurship to promote the 2021 Innovation and Entrepreneurship Week in Ho Chi Minh City.

Organizing a training class to spread the spirit of Active Citizen under the program of the British Council for 60 students and with lecturers to develop 10 creative social projects.

Signing MOU with the Southern National Startup Support and Advisory Council, Ho Chi Minh City Student Culture House and IPO-Sihub Club on collaboration and connection with businesses to coordinate innovation and startup activities among students of Nguyen Tat Thanh University and students from other universities in Ho Chi Minh City and nation-wide.

Business Forum Newspaper, National Startup Portal, NTTU Website, NIIC Website, NTTU Fanpage, Ho Chi Minh City Student Cultural House Fanpage, the F&B Sihub Community… are regularly publishing news about NTTU’s innovation and start-up activities in collaboration with partners.

The NTTU Innovation and Startup Incubation Center joined the Southern National Startup Support and Advisory Council in training to improve entrepreneurship and TOT capabilities for universities in Long An Province, and Kien Giang Province. The Center also participated in mentoring and judging for external startup competitions. It is also a member of the start-up policy network initiated by the Ministry of Science and Technology, thereby spreading the positive image of NTTU to the startup community.

Organizing a startup competition among students to select feasible projects to incubate

The 2021 Students with Innovative Start-up Ideas Contest is organized by Nguyen Tat Thanh University in collaboration with Ho Chi Minh City Student Culture House and the Southern National Startup Support and Advisory Council. Even though the contest took place during the complicated development of Covid-19 epidemic, it still attracted 50 student projects from 17 universities and colleges across the country (typically Da Nang University of Technology, Ho Chi Minh City FPT University, RMIT University Hanoi, University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City, University of Agriculture and Forestry, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, University of Finance – Marketing, Banking University,  Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences and Humanities, University of Economics and Law, Kien Giang University, Foreign Trade University, Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City Cadre Academy, College of External Economics,. ..). Nguyen Tat Thanh University had 30 projects while other participating institutions had 20 projects. 24 teams entered the semi-final round and the final round with 11 teams competing for 1 first prize, 2 second prizes, 2 third prizes and 6 consolation prizes. There were a total of 5,000 students who joined in related activities. The organizer selected 11 startup projects with innovative, novel, feasible plans to support, incubate and implement the project. 11 excellent winning teams comprised members from NTT’s Faculty of Pharmacy, Faculty of Business Administration, Faculty of Environmental and Food Engineering; Faculty of Biotechnology; NTTU’s Institute of Science and Information Technology.

Organizing 3 rounds of training and seminars on Mentoring, training sessions to improve the capacity of staff and lecturers on innovation and Mentoring.

Through the startup competition, NIIC connected mentors to select practical projects to incubate and implement. The NIIC also organized 3 training activities to improve project quality, perfect products and develop business models that took place between the 2 semi-final and final rounds. These programs aim to provide knowledge, skills and basic tools, methods to write project descriptions, business planning, project financing, application of innovation, perfecting products and developing business models, communication techniques, raising funds and presentation to investors.

NIIC also had programs to strengthen Mentoring skills for staff, lecturers and NIIC’s Mentor network through Mentor – Mentee connection workshop taking place on August 27, 2021 through an online platform, with the participation of the Board of Presidents, 140 participants including 30 Deans of Faculties, Institute Directors and Heads of related departments, 30 Entrepreneurs from the Southern National Startup Support and Advisory Council, IPO Entrepreneur Club -Sihub, Business Club of Nguyen Tat Thanh University, project mentors and 100 students from teams entered the semi-finals.

All the finalist teams of the annual startup competitions were introduced by NIIC to businesses and received their support, with incubators registered to assist in Mentoring, and mentors to incubate groups. Annual incubation package at NIIC from 01 month to 01 year is worth VND 180,000,000 millions.

In collaboration with the Southern National Startup Support and Advisory Council, in December 2021, the NIIC will organize a startup mentoring training course and issue certificates of course completion to 70 staff and lecturers. Sponsors provide support to help teams organize project implementation, setting up representative offices, building free commercial websites and registering for intellectual property registrations.

Startup project incubation activities:

8 individuals who helped in incubating from the semi-finals to the final round of The 2021 Students with Innovative Start-up Ideas Contest were awarded letters of appreciation and medals for completing the task of mentoring startups and 8 groups with 44 students receiving Mentee certificates completing the incubation course.

The project of Applying Spirulina as shrimp feed to improve the environment, which won the Champion of the 2020 National Startup Competition under the guidance of MSc. Huynh Van Hieu, is now cooperating with enterprises to implement production in the form of Spin out companies.

Incubating 15 projects to participate in high-level competitions outside NTTU: CiC Startup Idea Contest organized by the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center of Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City, Global Startup Competition organized by VCCI and Business Forum Magazine, Women with Startup Contest organized by Central Vietnam Women’s Union, Vietnam Social Innovation Challenge (VSIC 2021) by Business Ideas Team Organized by FTU2, “Rural Youth Startup Project 2021” contest organized by Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee

Incubating projects benefiting the community: SK NONI Morinda Citrifolia Project – Ca Mau Province, Pha Phang Son Gac Project (Women of Kien Giang Province), Soap made from Terminalia Catappa Leaves Project (Kien Giang University), HABUKA study habit building institute, ‘JM English for kid’ project of Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics.

As a result, nearly 100 individuals and groups were rewarded for excellent achievements, of which 5 Mentors were awarded the title of excellent mentor, 1 couple won the Mentor – Mentee award. There were also awards for excellent instructors, excellent judges, and excellent units with 10 participating groups.

After the competition of the 2021 Students with Innovative Start-up Ideas Contest, the NIIC formed partnerships with the F&B Renovation Hub, IPO-SIHUB Entrepreneurs Club, and connected to the Ministry of Science and Technology’s startup support policy and research network, and the National Startup Advisory Council. NIIC also cooperated with Thuy Moc Viet Import-Export Co., Ltd. on collaboration in technology development and implementation of student scientific research topics.

Currently, the facilities for NIIC’s start-up activities are improved significantly. NIIC opened a new co-working space for start-up groups, connecting shared laboratories for lecturers and students to implement pilot production. In the future, NIIC will continue to expand its partnerships with businesses and partners to build and operate the Sandbox Model connecting investors with Startup Founders, and elements of the National Startup Ecosystem to build an exchange system of award-winning and potential start-up projects via the Blockchain platform. In order to promote innovation and entrepreneurship for staff – lecturers and students, it is expected that in December 2021, NIIC will coordinate to organize a Mentoring training course.

Some pictures of activities taking place at the Closing Ceremony: