Representatives of the provincial leaders, Mr. Bui Thanh Ha, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Mr. Phan Ngoc Tho, Chairman of the provincial People's Committee attended. 

2018 is the third time the Provincial People's Committee organizes the “Innovation in Start-up Businesses” contest.

The contest aims to: encourage and build the spirit of innovative start-ups in the community; search for, select and honor potential innovative start-up business ideas/projects; and attract the attention and support of the society and potential enterprises for the entrepreneurial movement.

This year, Thua Thien Hue's Innovation in Start-up Businesses competition received 28 valid applications. Of which, enterprises accounted for 10.7%; individuals accounted for 35.7% and groups accounted for 53.6%. Six of these have created actual products. Twelve of the 28 potential applications were selected for the final round.

Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Bui Thanh Ha presenting the first prize to the winner

6 authors/groups were awarded the prize by the provincial People's Committee and the Chairman of the provincial People's Committee. Three authors/groups were selected for investment.

The 3 authors/groups who won the First, Second and Third prizes awarded by the provincial People's Committee are as follows, respectively: Applying traditional handicrafts in modern shoes production; Software application that identifies plant protein excess levels for smartphones; Use of non-timber forest products in natural forests to produce Sao la oil balm.

Mr. Phan Ngoc Tho presenting the second prize to the representative of the winning group

Three authors/groups who won the A, B and C prizes awarded by the Chairman of the provincial People's Committee from the Fund for Investment, Development and Credit Guarantee for small and medium enterprises in the province are as follows: Developing lotus potential in Hue; Vietnam specialties map; and Design IZI.

Out of the six ideas/projects, three were selected by the Cong Huong Consultancy and Investment Joint Stock Company to invest, including: Application of traditional handicrafts in modern shoes production, Use of non-timber forest products in natural forests to produce Sao la oil balm, and Developing lotus potential in Hue.

Mr. Tran Ngoc Nam, Director of the Department of Science and Technology, Head of the Organizing Committee presenting the Third Prize to Representatives of Award Winners

Mr. Phan Ngoc Tho congratulated the awardees of the 2018 Innovation in Start-up Businesses competition of the province. At the same time, he highly appreciated the effectiveness of the third Innovation in Start-up Businesses contest. The effectiveness is evident in different aspects: there is the active participation of related departments and of the education and training system in the area; the provincial Innovation in Start-up Businesses ecosystem has been formed with a number of supporting mechanisms and policies; many products are researched, inherited and commercialized; young people, students and young entrepreneurs are increasingly aware of the Innovation in Start-up Businesses.

Close-up of a modern shoe heel crafted by traditional craftsmanship of the first prize winner

Story and photos: Dong Van