On July 10, 2026, at the Danang Ballroom of Furama Resort Da Nang, the University of Danang (UD), in collaboration with the Da Nang People's Committee and Furama Resort Da Nang, hosted the Conference entitled “Strengthening substantive and effective linkages among the Triple Helix (Government - University - Industry) to advance national development in the Rising Era”

The Conference was attended by Prof. Dr. Le Quan, Deputy Minister of Education and Training; Mr. Ho Quang Buu, Member of the Da Nang Party Committee and Vice Chairman of the Da Nang People's Committee; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Vu, Member of the Da Nang Party Committee, Secretary of the UD Party Committee and President of UD; Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hong, Member of the Da Nang Party Committee and Director of the Da Nang Department of Science and Technology; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Do Chi Nghia, Member of the Executive Committee of the National Assembly Party Committee and Full-time Member of the National Assembly's Committee for Culture and Society; Prof. Dr. Sc. Bui Van Ga, Former Deputy Minister of Education and Training and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Science and Technology, UD; Prof. Dr. Tran Van Nam, Former President of UD; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hoang Van Hung, President of Thai Nguyen University; together with the Vice Presidents of UD.

Also in attendance were representatives of central government agencies, departments and administrations under the Ministry of Education and Training, local authorities, departments, organizations and professional associations of Da Nang City; distinguished administrators, experts and scientists, including Prof. Dr. Harald Kuhn, Director of Fraunhofer ENAS (Germany); Dr. Shu Namiki of the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan; Prof. Dr. Stéphane Ngo Mai, Vice President of Université Côte d'Azur (France); representatives of corporations, enterprises, entrepreneurs and partners of UD and Da Nang City; leaders of universities nationwide; as well as leaders of UD's member universities and affiliated units.

In his welcoming remarks, Mr. Ho Quang Buu, Member of the Da Nang Party Committee and Vice Chairman of the Da Nang People's Committee, expressed his pleasure at the organization of the Conference, describing it as a meaningful event within the framework of the Da Nang Economic, Finance and Technology Week 2026. He emphasized that the Conference would contribute to strengthening effective collaboration among the Government, universities and industry, fostering a more dynamic innovation ecosystem, creating new growth drivers, enhancing Da Nang's competitiveness, and contributing to the country's rapid and sustainable development in the Rising Era.

Commending UD for initiating this important Conference, the city leadership reaffirmed that UD has long been a strategic partner of Da Nang in human resource development, scientific research, technology transfer and policy consultation. With its large pool of highly qualified academics and researchers, together with modern research facilities, UD has become a major center for scientific research, technology transfer and academic exchange, serving as a solid foundation and an important driving force for industrialization and modernization.

The representative of the Da Nang People's Committee also noted that the city has consistently attached great importance to strengthening collaboration among key stakeholders within the Triple Helix innovation ecosystem. Such collaboration is regarded as the “golden key” to translating policies into effective innovation value chains, enhancing productivity, improving growth quality and national competitiveness, accelerating the application and commercialization of research outcomes, promoting innovation, and developing high-quality human resources.

Vice Chairman of the Da Nang People's Committee Ho Quang Buu reaffirmed the City's strong commitment to working closely with UD and the business community in fostering a favorable environment for research, innovation, and human resource development. He emphasized that Da Nang will continue to improve institutional mechanisms and policies to encourage research and development (R&D), promote technology transfer, support the innovation startup ecosystem, and facilitate stronger collaboration between universities and enterprises in education, research, and the commercialization of scientific outcomes.

In his opening remarks, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Vu, Member of the Da Nang Party Committee, Secretary of the Party Committee, and President of UD, expressed his honor that UD, in collaboration with the Da Nang People's Committee and with the support of Furama Resort Da Nang, was able to host the Conference with the participation of government leaders, distinguished scholars, and representatives of the business community. He noted that their strong presence reflects a shared commitment and collective determination to advance the nation's sustainable development.

President Nguyen Ngoc Vu acknowledged that although the Triple Helix model of collaboration among government, universities, and industry has received considerable attention in Viet Nam over the years, practical implementation still faces a number of bottlenecks. He stressed the need to further improve institutional frameworks, implementation mechanisms, resource allocation, coordination mechanisms, and measurable evaluation indicators. The key challenge, he noted, is how to ensure that the Triple Helix model operates substantively, generates measurable value, and contributes directly to economic growth. This question has become more urgent than ever as the country enters a new era of development.

He proposed that the spirit of the Triple Helix model should be firmly embraced by recognizing the business community as the center of the innovation ecosystem. Enterprises should serve as the driving force that commissions research, adopts, applies, and commercializes research outcomes to generate new economic value. Universities, intellectuals, and scientists, meanwhile, should place greater emphasis on addressing practical challenges facing the nation, industries, localities, and businesses, with successful application, technology transfer, and commercialization serving as key measures of research effectiveness. The Government, he emphasized, plays the role of institutional architect by creating enabling policies, commissioning strategic development initiatives, coordinating resources, and pioneering reforms in financial mechanisms to genuinely remove barriers to education, scientific research, and innovation. This, he said, provides the strongest foundation for building an effective, context-appropriate, and breakthrough Triple Helix model.

President Nguyen Ngoc Vu also shared his pride that the UD has been selected by the Central Steering Committee as one of four universities to receive priority strategic investment as model institutions for Viet Nam's higher education system.

Given this important responsibility, he stressed that the Conference represents not only an academic event but also a strong policy message highlighting the urgency of strengthening the Triple Helix partnership to support national development. More importantly, it serves as an opportunity to translate shared understanding into concrete action, in line with the direction of General Secretary To Lam, namely, that success must ultimately be measured by tangible outcomes: which technologies are mastered, which enterprises grow stronger, which industries achieve higher productivity, how citizens benefit, and how much these efforts contribute to national economic growth. These, he emphasized, are the only meaningful indicators of success.

To guide the Conference discussions, President Nguyen Ngoc Vu proposed four strategic priorities:

1- Institutionalizing the Triple Helix partnership by transforming informal and fragmented cooperation into a structured institutional framework with clearly defined responsibilities, transparent governance, and effective operational mechanisms.

2- Innovating the model for training high-quality human resources through substantive participation of enterprises, particularly by effectively implementing enterprise semester and work-integrated learning programs. He also proposed developing integrated innovation spaces associated with educational reform at universities, where enterprises could establish Innovation Hubs and R&D units on campus, enabling students and researchers to work alongside industry engineers. Such a model would fundamentally transform education and research by strengthening links with real-world practice and narrowing the gap between higher education and the labor market in the era of artificial intelligence and automation.

3- Building an integrated startup ecosystem in which universities serve as launchpads by providing infrastructure, mentoring, and initial resources for research-based spin-off companies; government acts as a policy enabler by establishing regulatory sandboxes, offering land incentives, and streamlining administrative procedures for technology startups; major enterprises become angel investors and early customers, supporting startups through investment and early market adoption; while the broader community participates in co-creation by continuously providing feedback to ensure that products align with strategic development objectives.

4- Launching the Triple Helix model based on strategic technology products originating from universities. This represents a practical and highly feasible solution at a time when Viet Nam urgently needs breakthrough strategic technologies. These innovative ideas and products are ready for startup enterprises to join in R&D investment and commercialization.

President Nguyen Ngoc Vu concluded that the envisioned Triple Helix model is built upon three complementary pillars: universities generating knowledge and foundational technologies; enterprises commercializing innovations to create economic value; and government creating an enabling environment while providing initial financial support. All three stakeholders share equal responsibility for delivering tangible outcomes and generating sustainable value for society.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Vu extended his sincere welcome and appreciation to leaders of ministries, central agencies, local authorities, especially the Da Nang People's Committee, universities and higher education institutions, organizations, associations, enterprises, and media agencies for their continued interest and support. He also expressed his heartfelt gratitude to scientists, policymakers, experts, entrepreneurs, and educators for their valuable contributions through research papers and presentations.

He expressed his confidence that the Conference would generate new initiatives, collaborative programs, and coordination mechanisms among universities, government agencies, the business community, and other stakeholders. These outcomes, he noted, would contribute to the development of high-quality human resources, science and technology, and innovation, thereby supporting the sustainable development of Da Nang City, the Central and Central Highlands region, and the nation in the new era.

During the Conference, leaders, policymakers, experts, scientists, and business representatives shared diverse perspectives and strategic insights through keynote speeches and presentations delivered by Prof. Dr. Le Quan, Deputy Minister of Education and Training; Nguyen Thanh Hong, Director of the Da Nang Department of Science and Technology; Prof. Dr. Sc. Bui Van Ga, Former Deputy Minister and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Science and Technology – UD; Mr. Tran Kim Chung, Chairman of CT Group and Member of the National Advisory Council on Science, Technology, Innovation and Digital Transformation; Prof. Dr. Harald Kuhn, Director of Fraunhofer ENAS (Germany); Dr. Shu Namiki from the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Japan; and Prof. Dr. Stéphane Ngo Mai, Vice President of Université Côte d'Azur (France). Drawing upon both domestic and international experience with the Triple Helix model, the speakers proposed a wide range of ideas, solutions, implementation models, and strategic directions for strengthening collaboration among government, universities, and industry.

According to Prof. Dr. Le Quan, Deputy Minister of Education and Training, the Party's guidelines and the State's policies on education and training, as well as breakthroughs in science and technology, innovation, and digital transformation under Resolution No. 57, have established ambitious goals and responsibilities.

The Triple Helix partnership, he emphasized, contributes to improving the quality of education and developing high-quality human resources. In this model, the Government plays an enabling role by promoting institutional autonomy and creating a supportive legal framework that allows all stakeholders to maximize their strengths and resources while assisting enterprises in technological innovation, value chain development, and value creation. Universities, in turn, should leverage the intellectual capacity of their scientists, faculty members, and students to pursue sustainable development and evolve into innovation hubs.

He further stressed the importance of transforming universities into incubators for science and technology enterprises and research-based spin-offs, thereby creating successful examples of the Triple Helix model in practice. Research collaboration, he noted, is the cornerstone for enhancing the quality of education and scientific research, as well as identifying and nurturing talent beyond traditional educational models.

On this occasion, representatives of the Da Nang People's Committee and UD signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation for the 2026–2031 period. The agreement focuses on eight priority areas: (1) education, training, and human resource development; (2) science and technology; (3) enterprise development, startups, and innovation; (4) agriculture and environment; (5) policy consultancy, public governance, and institutional development; (6) economy, culture, and society; (7) physical education, sports, and community health; and (8) cooperation in implementing the UD Urban Area Project.

The Conference attracted significant interest and scholarly contributions from leaders, policymakers, scientists, experts, universities, corporations, and enterprises from Viet Nam and abroad, receiving nearly 100 papers and presentations. Of these, nearly 80 peer-reviewed papers were selected for publication in the Conference Proceedings, which carries an ISBN and serves as a valuable reference for policymakers and stakeholders in implementing the Triple Helix collaboration model.

The success of the Conference not only enhanced awareness, inspired new thinking, broadened strategic vision, and strengthened the determination to implement breakthrough policies in science and technology, innovation, education and training, and enterprise development for national progress, but also further reinforced the reputation and brand of UD as one of Viet Nam's leading centers for higher education, scientific research, knowledge and technology transfer, and community engagement.

UD Media