Ecosystem organisations
100BY 2030200BY 2035
Incubators and accelerators supported
DECISION 3789/QD-BKHCN · 15 SEPTEMBER 2026
Vietnam’s National
Innovation Startup Program
20262035
A national, market-led framework to turn research, technology and intellectual property into high-growth companies—by connecting expertise, capital, customers and international markets.
WHY IT MATTERS
The programme connects the missing links between knowledge, technology, product, market and capital.
Research & IP→Technology validation→Product & pilot→Growth capital→Domestic & global markets
NATIONAL TARGETS
Two horizons.
One outcome system.
2030 Mid-term review2035 Programme completion
Startups in programmes
500BY 20301,000BY 2035
Participating in incubation and acceleration
Ecosystem professionals
500BY 20301,000BY 2035
Experts, fund managers and programme operators
Solutions piloted
150BY 2030300BY 2035
Tested or scaled with government and enterprises
New innovation startups
250BY 2030500BY 2035
Created through technology and IP commercialisation
Controlled trials
30BY 203060BY 2035
Startups supported through sandbox-style testing
Production-ready ventures
150BY 2030300BY 2035
Completing processes and prototypes for production
Growth-stage startups
200BY 2030400BY 2035
Supported through incubation and growth
ECOSYSTEM MANDATE
Da Nang: now,
2030 and 2035.
Ranking is a directional signal. The real mandate is to build the capabilities and outcomes that make a higher position sustainable.
BASELINE#554
Fast-rising, still fragmented
39 mapped startups, more than US$22.03M in reported funding and strong momentum—but programme, capital, research and market pathways remain disconnected.
- Events-led visibility
- Emerging specialised centres
- Limited consolidated outcome data
PROPOSED AMBITIONTOP 400
Connected citywide pipeline
Da Nang operates a common venture pipeline from research and problem discovery through pilots, incubation, investment and international markets.
- Stage-based venture portfolio
- Recurring challenge-led pilots
- 12-month outcome tracking
PROPOSED AMBITIONTOP 250–300
Recognised regional innovation hub
Specialised clusters, repeatable venture creation, cross-border capital and a two-way soft-landing platform make the ecosystem internationally relevant.
- Globally visible sector clusters
- VIFC and FTZ capital gateway
- Durable international market links
→→→→Regional scale
2026 ranking baseline: StartupBlink Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2026. The 2030 and 2035 positions are proposed Da Nang ambitions, not targets contained in Decision 3789.QUALITY TEST
What counts
as progress?
At least 30% of growth-stage ventures should operate in high-tech or strategic technology fields—and at least 30% should achieve revenue, customer, follow-on investment or international-market growth within 12 months after the programme.
IMPLICATIONS
What this means
for the ecosystem.
For Da Nang
Build one connected pipeline—not isolated events—from research and technology sourcing to pilots, investment and international markets. The city can use public agencies and large enterprises as first customers for validated solutions.
For startups
Support will increasingly favour ventures with defensible technology or IP, clear market demand, measurable growth potential and credible plans for production, compliance and expansion.
For incubators & accelerators
Programme operators must show capability, specialisation and post-programme outcomes. The relevant evidence is no longer attendance: it is pilots, revenue, customers, capital, new companies and market access.
For investors & corporates
Private capital and enterprise demand are designed into the programme. Investors, funds and large companies can participate in selection, mentoring, pilots, procurement, co-investment and follow-on finance.
For universities & R&D institutes
Research outputs need a commercialisation pathway: IP readiness, founder formation, market validation, prototype development, quality certification and business-building support.
For international partners
International cooperation is explicitly encouraged to bring expertise, technology, investment and market access. Contributions should complement the national pipeline and leave stronger local capability.
DA NANG RESPONSE
A practical alignment agenda
Create a city pipeline
Map ventures from research, sandbox and incubation programmes into one stage-based portfolio with named owners and next milestones.
Develop challenge-led pilots
Translate public-sector and enterprise needs into problem statements, selection criteria, test environments and procurement or scaling pathways.
Strengthen operators
Build the delivery capability of incubators, accelerators, fund managers and mentors; measure programme quality through startup outcomes.
Prepare investment-ready ventures
Connect technology validation with governance, financial models, data rooms, investor fit and follow-on capital.
Track twelve-month outcomes
Measure revenue, customers, capital raised and international market progress for at least twelve months after support ends.
Coordinate international resources
Align global experts and networks with local priorities, while building durable capacity inside Da Nang organisations.
DELIVERY ARCHITECTURE
Who does what
Programme lead: annual plans, rules, calls, selection, contracting, funding, monitoring and impact reporting.
Sets priority directions, issues inspection rules, supervises delivery and evaluates annual and programme-wide results.
Connects the programme with startups, technology enterprises and the national support ecosystem.
DA NANG DELIVERY NETWORK
One mandate,
shared accountability.
Da Nang Department of Science and Technology
Own the city portfolio, align implementing organisations and connect local pilots to national resources.
Da Nang Innovation Startup Support Center
Pipeline coordination, startup sourcing, programme delivery, ecosystem data and post-programme follow-through.
Da Nang Semiconductor and Artificial Intelligence Center
Challenge-led AI and semiconductor programmes, test environments, specialised networks and venture pathways.
Da Nang Entrepreneurship Support
Incubation, founder development, local community activation and connections to customers and investors.
Swiss Entrepreneurship Program Vietnam
EIR expertise, partner-organisation capacity, investment readiness, capital mobilisation, internationalisation and policy dialogue.
Universities and R&D institutes
Technology disclosure, IP readiness, founder formation, laboratories, prototypes and commercialisation partnerships.
Investors and venture funds
Thesis-led sourcing, diligence, co-investment, governance support and subsequent financing.
Corporations and public-sector customers
Challenge statements, data, pilot sites, technical validation, procurement and commercial distribution.
QUESTIONS THAT MAKE IT ACTIONABLE
What must be answered
to make it happen?
Strategic position
- Which three to five sectors can place Da Nang among Asia’s recognised emerging innovation hubs?
- What should the city be globally known for by 2030 and 2035?
- Which comparable cities should Da Nang benchmark against?
Startup pipeline
- Who owns the consolidated citywide startup pipeline?
- How does a research result progress into a company, pilot, customer and investment?
- What happens to teams after competitions, summits and hackathons?
Market & pilots
- Which public agencies and large enterprises can act as first customers?
- How will real problems become challenge statements and pilot opportunities?
- What moves a successful pilot into procurement or commercial scale?
Capital
- How much investment-ready deal flow can Da Nang produce annually?
- Who prepares founders for diligence and follow-on finance?
- How can VIFC-DN and the FTZ support capital formation and cross-border growth?
Institutions
- Which organisation is accountable for each stage of the pipeline?
- Where are mandates duplicated and capabilities missing?
- What should be delivered locally, nationally or internationally?
Measurement
- What are the baselines for active startups, jobs, revenue, patents, pilots, capital and international customers?
- Who owns and maintains the evidence?
- Which outcomes will be tracked after 6, 12 and 24 months?
SWISS EP ALIGNMENT
Capability building becomes more valuable when it strengthens the national delivery chain.
For Swiss EP and its Partner Organisations in Da Nang, the strongest alignment lies in:
- professionalising incubators, accelerators and programme managers;
- using EIR expertise to remove specific growth and commercialisation bottlenecks;
- building investment readiness and capital-mobilisation pathways;
- connecting startups with corporate pilots and international markets; and
- tracking jobs, revenue, customers, capital and market expansion after support.
Interpretation note. This page is an English-language policy explainer based on Decision No. 3789/QD-BKHCN dated 15 September 2026. Programme eligibility, annual priorities, funding levels and application procedures depend on implementation rules and calls issued by the responsible authorities.