NIC partners with TU Berlin to boost Vietnam innovation ties

From March 18 to 25, the partnership was formalised between the National Innovation Centre (NIC) and the Centre for Entrepreneurship (CfE) at Technische Universität (TU) Berlin during a working visit to Italy and Germany led by Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung. The mission also advanced cooperation with leading technology partners including SAP, Leonardo, Bosch, Siemens Healthineers, and Assolombarda.

The Vietnamese delegation visited the campus at TU Berlin, one of Germany’s leading technical universities, known for its strengths in research, technology development, and sustainability. Its CfE serves as a key hub for entrepreneurship, innovation, and commercialisation, connecting researchers, students, businesses, and investors.

Through incubation and acceleration programmes lasting six to 18 months, TU Berlin’s ecosystem supports around 40 high-tech startup projects annually, with approximately 10 companies established each year. The university is also a founding member of Science & Startups, a major startup platform contributing to Berlin’s dynamic innovation ecosystem.

During the visit, the deputy prime minister introduced NIC as a central driver of Vietnam’s innovation ecosystem. NIC has been actively collaborating with global technology leaders such as NVIDIA, Google, Meta, and Samsung to support startups, attract international resources, and strengthen connections among enterprises, investors, and research institutions.

On March 24, NIC and CfE formally signed an MoU in Berlin, marking a significant step forward in Vietnam-Germany cooperation in innovation, entrepreneurship, and strategic technology development.

The partnership will focus on joint training programmes for startups, technology forums and specialised workshops, startup competitions, incubation and acceleration initiatives, as well as exchange programmes for startups, students, and researchers. It will also promote joint research projects in key strategic technology areas.

The MoU is expected to enhance bilateral cooperation while opening new avenues to connect the innovation ecosystems of Vietnam and Germany. By leveraging shared resources in knowledge, technology, and investment, the collaboration aims to better support startups and tech enterprises, contributing to Vietnam’s digital transformation and innovation-driven economic growth.

A range of cooperation models between Vietnam and the United States in strategic technology sectors such as AI, digital twins, and semiconductors has been proposed.

A high-level innovation and investment forum in California has strengthened Vietnam's push to become a key node in global technology supply chains.