 |
| Deputy Director of the Department of Science and Technology Vo Hoang Khai (top row, far left) presents certificates to representatives of projects that reached the final round of the Dong Nai Province Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition 2025. Photo: Van Gia |
Improving the institutional framework and specific financial mechanisms for innovative startups, and concretizing activities to enhance the effectiveness of policies promoting the development of innovative startups, is what Dong Nai is aiming for.
Obstacles that need to be overcome
According to the Department of Science and Technology (the permanent unit of the Dong Nai Province Innovation and Startup Ecosystem Coordination Council), many activities related to innovation and startups will take place in Dong Nai in 2025. Among these, the organization of programs and competitions will be particularly prominent.
The dissemination of information about innovative entrepreneurship has been carried out comprehensively and extensively in both direct and online environments, with a particular focus on leveraging social media platforms. Member units of the council have intensified training and workshops in a practical and modern direction, focusing on digital skills, artificial intelligence (AI), management, and e-commerce. The success of entrepreneurship programs is facilitated by the attention of the province and local organizations and units. The development of technology and strong digital transformation also create significant opportunities for technology startups and the application of digital solutions.
In particular, many units, organizations, and universities have also launched startup competitions. Among them, the Dong Nai Province Innovation Startup Competition 2025 attracted 32 entries, with 24 selected for presentations and 6 projects advancing to the final round. The Women's Innovation Startup Competition 2025 had 41 ideas/projects participating, with 11 projects selected for the final round. The 10th Dong Nai Province Youth and Children's Innovation Competition 2025 had over 2,000 solutions, models, and products participating…
Despite achieving significant results, creating a foundation and promoting entrepreneurship among young people and citizens, the province's startup ecosystem still faces difficulties and limitations. The allocated funding is insufficient to meet the needs of startup support activities, affecting the scale and frequency of training, investment support, and model replication. Many communes and wards lack dedicated funding for specialized activities. Genuine, innovative startup projects that meet criteria for growth based on intellectual property, technology, or new business models remain few. Projects by students and citizens are still small-scale, mainly at the idea stage. The ability to connect local ideas with larger markets and investment funds is limited.
According to Vo Hoang Khai, Deputy Director of the Department of Science and Technology, the startup ecosystem has not yet been fully formed, the ability to connect with large markets and investment funds is still weak/limited, and network connectivity is still poor. Support for innovative startups is still in its initial stages and needs to be strengthened in the future.
Currently, the mobilization of social resources for innovation is limited, and not many technology companies are investing in or leading startups. Therefore, the role of the State in incubation and promotion becomes even more crucial. This not only provides "seed capital" but also creates mechanisms and policies to encourage the development of innovative startups.
Specifying startup activities
At the provincial People's Committee's working session at the end of November 2025 to evaluate the results of innovative startup activities in the province, the opinions of the innovative startup community all suggested that startup activities need to focus on concrete results.
Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Tuan, a member of the Southern Startup Support Advisory Council, suggested: It is necessary to focus on training core lecturers for several colleges and universities in Dong Nai province and officials from 95 communes and wards on innovative startup activities; from there, they can guide students and residents, acting as consultants to screen quality projects. In addition, opportunities should be created for startup projects to connect with businesses in the same industry and investors to find opportunities for cooperation and product/service development.
Similarly, Mr. Nguyen Duy Khuong, Vice Chairman of the Young Entrepreneurs Association of Dong Nai province, emphasized that for the province's startup ecosystem to develop genuinely, stronger investment in training programs for knowledge and skills is needed. Mr. Khuong proposed that departments and agencies continue to expand in-depth training programs on AI applications, digital skills, financial management, legal matters, business models, branding, and e-commerce, connecting young entrepreneurs with experts and investors inside and outside the province. This will be a "lever" to help Dong Nai startups catch up faster with new trends, enhance their competitiveness, and narrow the gap with major startup centers nationwide.
According to Comrade Le Truong Son, Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Dong Nai is a large-scale locality with a developed economy and great potential for promoting entrepreneurship and business establishment. It is essential for Dong Nai's innovative startup activities to have a comparable position with similar localities. The provincial leadership proposed researching and strengthening connections with startup programs in Ho Chi Minh City. Departments, agencies, and organizations need to integrate startup activities into the province's economic and science-technology development programs to create a common impetus for the startup movement. Dong Nai will also learn from the experiences of other localities nationwide and international startup management models to apply to the province's practical activities.
Wang Shi
Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/kinh-te/202512/cu-the-hoa-cac-hoat-dong-khoi-nghiep-cbe0546/
Comment (0)