DNO - On the morning of August 30, at the University of Science and Technology (University of Danang), the Danang Innovation and Startup Festival - SURF 2024 with the theme "Reaching Creativity - Connecting the World" opened with the message "Da Nang - City of Innovation". Attending the event were Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Hoang Minh, Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee Tran Chi Cuong.

Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee Tran Chi Cuong delivered the opening speech at SURF 2024.

In his opening speech, Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee Tran Chi Cuong said that SURF 2024 is an annual event, a meeting place for the startup community in the city and connection with investors and partners at home and abroad.

The event has practical significance in promoting innovative start-up activities, with direct and online participation of a large number of innovative start-up communities, investors, scientists, managers and partners in the city's innovative start-up activities.

Resolution No. 43/NQ-TW dated January 24, 2019 of the Politburo on the construction and development of Da Nang city to 2030, with a vision to 2045, has set the goal by 2030 to "Build Da Nang city to become one of the major socio-economic centers of the country and Southeast Asia with the role of a center for startups and innovation".

Vision by 2045, the city "becomes a large, ecological and smart urban area, a center for startups, innovation and a livable coastal city reaching the Asian regional level".

Over the years, Da Nang has made continuous efforts to develop an innovative startup ecosystem, with the formation and continuous development of support organizations, incubators, venture capital funds, angel investors and especially the innovative startup business community.

The city has issued many documents, mechanisms, policies and plans related to the development of the innovative startup ecosystem in Da Nang city and focused on developing facilities for innovative startups; programs to support businesses and support effective investment connections.

In particular, the National Assembly issued Resolution No. 136/2024/QH15 dated June 26, 2024 on the organization of urban government and piloting specific mechanisms and policies for the development of Da Nang city; including 4 groups of specific policies on science and technology management and innovation, including: a group of policies on exemption of corporate income tax and personal income tax; a group of policies on supporting the development of innovative start-up projects; a group of policies on allowing controlled testing and a group of policies on the use of infrastructure assets to serve innovative start-ups.

The city is actively developing resolutions of the City People's Council to implement Resolution No. 136/2024/QH15 of the National Assembly, effective from January 1, 2025; considering this a breakthrough solution to continue promoting the development of the innovative startup ecosystem in Da Nang city.

Vice Chairman of the City People's Committee Tran Chi Cuong hopes that in the coming time, the Da Nang startup ecosystem will develop more and more strongly, becoming an attractive destination, connecting innovative startup resources, domestic and international startups to cooperate, invest and develop together.

The city's innovative start-up projects/enterprises are increasingly proactive in innovating, transforming growth models and creating more added value; taking advantage of many domestic and international support resources and there are more and more large enterprises, investment funds, angel investors, experts and scientists accompanying innovative start-up enterprises.

City leaders are committed to always accompanying businesses, creating the best conditions and the most favorable environment for business development.

Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Hoang Minh spoke at the Danang City Innovation and Startup Festival - SURF 2024.

Speaking at SURF 2024, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Hoang Minh said that in 2024, Vietnam's startup ecosystem will rise 2 places to 56th place on Startup Blink's Global Startup Ecosystem Index. Vietnam is estimated to have about 3,800 startups, 208 investment funds, 85 incubators, and 35 business promotion organizations.

Along with Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, Da Nang has entered the top 1,000 cities with the highest startup ecosystem index globally, ranking 896th. Da Nang has affirmed itself through its strong development and efforts to promote the creative startup ecosystem in terms of building a legal corridor, policies, and developing infrastructure, facilities, and techniques to promote creative startup activities.

With the goal set out in Resolution No. 43-NQ/TW dated January 24, 2024 of the Politburo, with a vision to 2045, Da Nang "becomes a large, ecological and smart city, a center for startups, innovation and a livable coastal city of Asian regional standard", the event "Da Nang Innovation and Startup Festival - SURF 2024" is an important forum, creating favorable opportunities to share experiences, knowledge, connect, seek cooperation opportunities, optimize exploitation of resources, domestic and international experts...

The event also proposed solutions to support the development of innovative startup models, contributing to further promoting the development of the innovative startup ecosystem in the city and the whole country, thereby contributing to the socio-economic development of the city, the region and the country.

The Ministry of Science and Technology acknowledged and highly appreciated the city's efforts in supporting creative startups and the achievements of the startup community; expressed confidence that the city's creative startup ecosystem will increasingly develop, with many startups reaching national and international levels.

The leaders of the Ministry of Science and Technology suggested that Da Nang continue to promote many new initiatives in the coming time, contributing to promoting the city's leading role in attracting national and international resources, promoting the creative startup ecosystem in the whole region; in which, focusing on connecting and building long-term cooperation programs to develop creative startup ecosystems with neighboring localities; coordinating with units in the Ministry of Science and Technology to build and implement activities to develop the national creative startup ecosystem, spreading the impact to the entire Central and Central Highlands regions.

In order to build Da Nang city into one of the major socio-economic centers of the country and Southeast Asia with the role of a center for startups and innovation, with a vision to 2045, becoming a large, ecological and smart city, a center for startups, innovation and a livable coastal city reaching the Asian regional level as determined in Resolution 43-NQ/TW dated January 24, 2019 of the Politburo, Da Nang needs to continue to pay attention to directing relevant departments, branches, sectors and localities to have plans to support organizations and individuals with the capacity to implement innovative startup projects based on research results, intellectual property rights and digital technology applications.

Opening session of Da Nang City Innovation and Startup Festival.

It is known that SURF 2024 with the theme "Reaching Creativity - Connecting the World" and the message "Da Nang - City of Innovation", is organized with a series of events taking place from August 15 to December 30, 2024.

Within the framework of the opening event on August 30, there were 4 online and in-person scientific seminars on innovative startup activities with the participation of speakers who are managers, investors and startups.

The event also organized and awarded prizes for the Danang City Innovation and Startup Competition - SURF 2024; activities to present ideas - connect investments, launch the Danang - Singapore innovation space and an innovation and startup exhibition with 100 booths...

VAN HOANG - VICTORY