Industry Innovation Workshop Series
On October 2024, Agile Innovation Center (AIC) hosted a series of workshops on Industry Innovation. This series is part of the Vietnam Industry Innovation Research, aim to capture the perspectives of experts and industry leaders. Each workshop is tailored to focus on the main economic sectors that are the core of the VIIR study, including Tourism, Education and Training, Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals, Aquaculture and Fishery, Food Processing, and Real Estate and Construction. This series represents a pioneering platform in each industry that brings together experts, government leaders, as well as enterprises, associations, and stakeholders from both the public and private sectors to engage in in-depth discussions on the distinctive characteristics and prominent challenges in fostering innovation within their respective fields. Through these exchanges, the research team will be able to acquire valuable insights into industry innovation, providing a foundation to assess the current state of industry innovation in Vietnam and advance the VIIR research. Below are the key highlights of each workshop.
Workshop on Innovation in Tourism
Hosted on October 4th, 2024, the workshop was participated in by 15 experts, policymakers, and industry leaders in the tourism sector. The workshop provided an important platform for addressing challenges and identifying new opportunities for innovation, especially in the post-COVID landscape.
Key highlights included:
- Innovation is essential for the tourism industry not only to recover but to thrive. The forum underscored the need for digital transformation, sustainable tourism development, and the adoption of modern technologies like AI and smart tourism to enhance customer experiences and boost global competitiveness.
- Despite regulatory hurdles, the discussions helped identify practical solutions and encouraged cross-sector collaboration between organizations, government, and businesses to overcome these barriers.
Workshop on Innovation in Education and Training
This workshop was hosted on October 16th, 2024, joined by 23 experts, policymakers, and representatives from various educational organizations to discuss the future of education in Vietnam. The workshop provided an essential platform for tackling key challenges and exploring solutions for transforming education.
Key highlights included:
- Innovation is critical for enhancing educational quality in today’s world. The forum underscored the importance of digital transformation, integrated curricula development, and innovative teaching methods to meet the growing demands of society.
- Challenges related to policy and resistance to change continue to hinder the pace of educational reform, but the discussions helped identify practical strategies to improve awareness and overcome these obstacles.
- Experts also highlighted the role of the private sector in leading capacity building, networking, internationalization and sharing activities among teachers to implement innovation throughout the education system.
Workshop on Innovation in Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals
The next workshop was hosted on October 17, 2024, attracting 17 leading medical experts, policymakers, and industry representatives to discuss the challenges and solutions for driving innovation in Vietnam’s healthcare sector.
Key topics included:
- Enhancing healthcare quality through technology adoption
- Streamlining clinical processes
- Promoting community healthcare initiatives
While there is a highly skilled professional community with access to a large number of clinical cases for knowledge exchange and expertise development, current regulatory and policy frameworks pose significant hurdles, slowing the pace of innovation.
Workshop on Innovation in Aquaculture and Fisheries
On October 18, 2024, AIC hosted the “Aquaculture and Fisheries Innovation Workshop,” bringing together 28 experts, policymakers, and business leaders to discuss the future of Vietnam’s fisheries sector. The forum was an important opportunity for participants to address industry challenges and explore new pathways for sustainable growth.
Key highlights:
- The significant role of the fisheries sector in the economy, marked by impressive export achievements and job creation. However, to sustain growth, systematic changes and policy improvements are needed to support innovation.
- Technological adoption is becoming more widespread, but the pace of integration must accelerate to maximize its benefits. High-tech solutions can help increase productivity and manage resources more sustainably.
Workshop on Innovation in Food Processing
On the same day, the Food Processing Innovation Workshop was organized, participated by 17 experts, policymakers, and business leaders to discuss the pressing challenges and opportunities facing Vietnam’s food processing industry. The forum provided a unique platform for stakeholders to address barriers and explore solutions for driving sustainable growth.
Key highlights included:
- The food processing industry’s significant contribution to Vietnam’s economy, with a focus on increasing export value and agricultural development. However, regulatory challenges and policy limitations remain barriers to faster innovation.
- Technological adoption is gradually increasing, with both imported and local solutions. More investment is needed to fully leverage modern techniques and digital transformation.
Workshop on Innovation in Real Estate and Construction
On November 1, 2024, the final workshop in the series was hosted, focusing on Real Estate and Construction industry. This workshop brought together 18 experts, policymakers, and business leaders to discuss the pressing challenges and opportunities in Vietnam’s real estate and construction sectors. The workshop offered a unique platform for stakeholders to address obstacles and explore solutions for driving sustainable development.
Key highlights included:
- Innovation in the real estate sector was emphasized as crucial, with the need for this industry to lead in innovation before other sectors can follow.
- The importance of policy in driving innovation was highlighted, noting that policy changes are essential for businesses to transform effectively.
- The social and environmental impacts of innovation in real estate were underscored, emphasizing the need for careful consideration to ensure sustainable and responsible growth.
The workshop provided a valuable space for participants to share insights and collaborate on strategies to shape the future of the sector.
