Startups from many provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta participated in displaying and introducing products at an event organized by Can Tho City and some units at the end of last year.

Build the foundation

Every year, Can Tho city and the Mekong Delta provinces have about 400-500 startup projects, of which about 20-30% are projects with creative elements. In order to promote synergy to support innovation startup activities, Can Tho City has cooperated with many units, organizations and provinces in the region to form 2 linkage networks including: Can Tho City Innovation Startup Ecosystem Link Network - CanTho Startup Ecosystem and Mekong Delta Incubator Network.

Can Tho City is also a member of the Mekong Startup Network - Mekong Startup Network with members from provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta. As a result, the innovation startup ecosystem of Can Tho city has made fundamental development steps and gradually perfected it in the direction of promoting well its internal strength and effectively linking and using external resources from other localities, such as Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Hanoi, and internationality.

Can Tho city is known as a place to converge, connect and host many regional start-up activities, such as Startup and Innovation Forum in the Mekong Delta in 2020, with the topics: " Innovative startup ecosystem: Trends - Advantages - Challenges"; Workshop "Link to build and develop the innovation startup ecosystem in the Mekong Delta"; series of events "Technology - Equipment Market and Innovation Startup Festival in the Mekong Delta region 2019. Mr. Pham Dinh Ngai, Director of Tra Vinh Farm Limitecd Company, Tieu Can district, Tra Vinh province, said: I participate quite a lot of event connecting supply and demand; display and introduce products for startups held in Can Tho city. Through these events, I not only sold goods to many provinces and cities across the country, but also had the opportunity to learn and share experiences from many startups across the region."

Can Tho city also gradually improves its facilities and infrastructure to serve innovation startup activities. There are 14 start-up support organizations and technology incubators in the city. In which, some organizations have Co-Working Space, such as Can Tho University Patent Space (MIS-CTU), Vietnam - Korea Industrial Technology Incubator - KVIP (Can Tho City Department of Science and Technology), Up Green Life Co-working Space (Can Tho Student Development and Support Center), BlockUp Building (Block Up Can Tho Joint Stock Company) and etc.

Especially, since September 2019, Can Tho City Department of Science and Technology has put into operation the pilot model of the Can Tho Innovation and Startup Promotion Model - CASTI HUB. This place has directly and indirectly supported more than 100 startup projects with creative elements in the stages of product improvement, business model improvement, market connection, financial advice, startup idea development.

The desire to connect

Mr. Ngo Anh Tin, Director of Can tho City Department of Science and Technology, said: The Can Tho City People's Committee has just issued the plan No. 135/KH-UBND on supporting the development of Can Tho City's innovation startup ecosystem in the  period of 2021-2025, with a vision to 2030. This plan aims to create an environment that promotes and supports the formation and development of fast-growing businesses based on the exploitation of intellectual property, technologies, new business models and innovation in the creative movement in enterprises. At the same time, expressing the desire to turn Can Tho into a center to connect and spread the innovation startup movement in the Mekong Delta region. Accordingly, the city supports the development of infrastructure and services to support the development of the innovation startup ecosystem through the project of establishing an innovation start-up support center and an exchange of ideas and products for innovation; strives to turn Can Tho City into an Innovation Startup Center of the Mekong Delta by 2030. The center will be a place to gather, converge and link resources inside and outside the city to create motivation and lead activities of the region's innovative startup in the coming time.

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