BIIC – the incubation of startups in Thu Dau Mot

Whoever and at whatever qualifications you are, if you have an idea or a plan for a creative startup projects of visions to bring about community benefits, you can visit Binh Duong Innovation Center (BIIC) to be consulted with detail action plans for such idea or plan.

Participants are discussing startup ideas at BIIC in September 2020

Sharing and assisting available

BIIC was established on the basis of servicing the community, people, and enterprises in the process of promoting startup movements in Binh Duong, especially, those startups of youths in close connection with services and technologies. In 7 months of official operation, BIIC has contributed to the strong promotion of community initiatives and incubation of startups for young people in Binh Duong province.

Getting around the venue of BIIC at No. 28 Huynh Van Nghe in Thu Dau Mot city, we could recognize a well-organized space. The center is divided to co-working space, STEM education, fablab, small and medium enterprise assisting zone, coffee hub, space for relaxation and intellectual property researching, and spaces for training and event organization.

Ever since its establishment BIIC has become a place for organizing startup activities and promotion of business spirit and renewal of startup and other components of the business ecosystem, supply of basic and in-depth knowledge to various subjects directly organized by Provincial Department of Science and Technology. Besides, reality-oriented training programs are offered to all-level students. Competence training is offered to SMEs in terms of management, renewal, and smart-city-related training.

Notably, the assisting program for startup enterprises of individuals, groups, and young startup is offered free co-office, meeting space, VIP and private reception in coordination with professional training and startup movement promotion such as Saigon Innovation Hub- Sihub, Vietnam Silicon Valley (VSV), etc. Individual and group startups have made clear and detail plans of their ideas while BIIC helps to connect with departments and sectors to set up enterprises and fulfill legal requirements for future sustainable development.

Welcoming startups

In 9 months of 2020, Provincial Department of Science and Technology coordinated with agencies, sectors and localities to organize various training courses for creative startups. However, by the present time, the number of profiles submitted to BIIT for consultancy is only 4, of which, one profiled failed due to its too individual and household nature without much value yields. The 3 rest profiles are approved, including apartment management assisting software project, housekeeping finding project, and project of industrial waste transaction floor.

Of the 3 mentioned projects, BIIC affirmed to assist the owners to contact departments and agencies to fulfill procedures for enterprise set up, tax and necessary legal declaration before their actual operations. In this stage, BIIC is reported to help those groups find investors and mentors to guide their next steps.

Talking to us, Nguyen Quoc Cuong, Director of Provincial Department of Science and Technology informed of local development potentials and noted the humble submission to BIIC. Cuong asserted that education and awareness improvement in terms of initiatives and creative startups would contribute to promotion of social development and need doing as soon as possible.

“Currently, the assisting staffs and spaces of BIIC are all ready for receiving and helping individuals, groups, and startups who ask for free support. We are hopeful that, for the time to come as the Covid-19 pandemic is cooled down, BIIC shall receive more submission from local youths,” said Cuong.

By our researches, the months of complex and tense disease outbreak have downturned the submission to BIIC. Besides, majority of the youths are still unclear of startup concepts. In the meantime, successful businessmen confirm that persistence should be practiced along with learning and non-stop actions to maintain the ideas and projects proposed by the youths.

Reported by Dinh Thang – Translated by Vi Bao