PM Pham Minh Chinh at the opening of the national festival for innovative startups TECHFEST and Week for Ho Chi Minh City Innovation, Startup and Entrepreneurship WHISE 2021, December 14, 2021.

Mr. Chinh made the statement at the opening of the national festival for innovative startups TECHFEST and Week for Ho Chi Minh City Innovation, Startup and Entrepreneurship WHISE 2021 via videoconference in Hanoi on Tuesday.

The PM hailed achievements in innovation this year, which helped bring Vietnam to the 44th place out of 132 countries and economies in terms of global innovation, and the first position among 34 middle-income countries.

“In the immediate future, innovation efforts should focus on the fight against COVID-19, economic recovery and development, as well as emerging issues such as climate change, exhaustion of natural resources, aging population, non-traditional security issues, green growth, digital transformation, and those in health care, education, agriculture and poverty reduction,” he said.

PM Chinh also witnessed the signing of cooperation agreements between the Ministry of Science and Technology and several major corporations and groups.