A seminar entitled ‘Connecting expatriate experts to the national innovation ecosystem’ was held in Hanoi on December 4 by the State Commission on Overseas Vietnamese (SCOV) under the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Science and Technology

The event aimed to encourage expatriate experts and intellectuals to give recommendations and initiatives in technology application and the building of an innovative start-up ecosystem in order to facilitate sustainable economic development in Vietnam.

It also sought to serve as a platform to connect localities and organisations with expatriate experts, where participants discussed experiences and made suggestions to attract the participation of Overseas Vietnamese to the innovative start-up ecosystem.

At the event, the organising board announced the debut of the Network of Overseas Intellectual Associations Supporting Technological Innovation and Commercialisation.

In his speech, Deputy Foreign Minister and SCOV Chairman Pham Quang Hieu said that the establishment of the network aims to promote the deeper participation of expatriate intellectuals in scientific and technological activities in Vietnam as well as the country’s innovative start-up ecosystem.

He expressed his hope that the network can help State-run management agencies to collect feedback and comments on the national innovative start-up ecosystem from Overseas Vietnamese.