Overview of The National Program 844 to "Supporting the National Innovation Initiative to 2025" (ISEV)
The National Program 844 to "Supporting the National Innovation Initiative to 2025" (ISEV) aims to create a favorable environment to promote and support the formation and development of enterprises.

2016 with the highly developing pattern in the activities of innovative startups has been determined as the year of startups in Vietnam. According to Topica Founder Institute's data, there were around 1800 startups operating at that time. Under the orientation to promote a tremendously thriving startup ecosystem with with the goal of bringing about a comprehensive, timely and adherent demand-and-process assistance for young enterprises, the Government has published several mechanisms, policies and supporting programs to turn innovative startup activities into vigorous implementation and nationwide spreading. Of all these state scale schemes, the “Initiative for the startup ecosystem in Vietnam until 2025” - Project 844, which was approved by the Prime Minister on May 18, 2016, is one of the most prominent. Project 844 was established in order to foster a favorable environment and to finalise the main legal framework for the startup ecosystem. Targeting the rapidly growing enterprises which exploit intellectual property, technology and state-of-the-art business models, the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) of Vietnam is assigned to coordinate the implementation of the program with other ministries, branches, localities, and socio-political organizations. 

    To accomplish the proposed objectives, Project 844 has been deployed via two major missions: Science and technology mission and annual mission. The goal of the science and technology mission is to research, suggest new mechanisms, policies and make adjustment to necessary legislations that would advance the startup ecosystem. 2 to 3 years are the time set for research and collection of comments, recommendations and criticisms among relating partners, thereby completing the policy proposals that are closely in line with the demands of market and the ecosystem. In terms of this feature, the encouraged hosts for the mission is a partnership between government agencies and research-oriented organizations such as universities and R&D centers. By associating with those minimum units, it is more promising to take advantage of the strengths and particularities of joint parties as well as to build up a multifaceted perspective from state agencies and research institutes.

    If considering the science and technology missions to be research-oriented and on long term vision, then the annual missions play a role as direct supports to the ecosystem of the Project 844. Categorized into 6 groups of tasks with different goals, the yearly mission will provide the start-up ecosystem with an all-round support, specifically:

- Group of tasks to develop training, capacity building activities and enhance competency for different stakeholders in the startup ecosystem. These tasks aim at training human resources for the ecosystem from entrepreneurs, advisors, coaches, mentors to officials of Ministries, departments, sectors and socio-political organizations. Moreover, training for students in entrepreneurship is also a key factor to create and supply human resources for building the ecosystems.

- Group of tasks to support incubation, acceleration activities, promote business and provide services for startups. The goal is to prompt the operation of incubators, accelerators and service providers, hence assist these organizations to extend their scale and connect with potential partners. After being assigned missions, the incubators, accelerators are expected to aggregate activities and methods into experience, lessons, knowhows and transfer them to other organizaions. 

- Group of tasks in hosting startup events in view of creating environment and conditions for the communication and interchange among subjects, which then strengthen the interactivity and connection in the ecosystem as a whole. Simultaneously, events like Techfest also becomes an opportunity for startups to display and promote their products to the community.

    - Group of tasks concerning communication for entrepreneurial activities, assistance and investment, accompanied with dissemination and propaganda of typical cases of Vietnamese successful startups. These tasks aim at diffusing the startup spirit into the society through articles, videos, reportages about startup models as well as successful supporting organizaions. Moreover, the objectives of communication activities also focus on promote the expansion of domestic and international markets for startup products. 

    - Group of tasks concerning the establishment and development of networks in the startup ecosystem. The goal of this group is to form networks of stakeholders in the ecosystem, encompassing networks of angel investors, venture capitals, incubators, accelerators, young scientists and entrepreneurs, ... which targets at an increase in information exchange, communication, experience sharing among people pursuing the same objective and desiring to develop the ecosystem.

    - Group of tasks concerning connecting Viet Nam networks of startups, supporting organizaions and venture investors with other regional and global ecosystems. All networks, including those already exist in the ecosystem as well as being formed through network formation and development under the aegis of Project 844, will aim to connect and form exchange program on both regional and global scale. Thenceforth, supporting Vietnam startup in expanding to global market as well as augmenting the attraction of international resources to develop the startup ecosystem.

    Program 844 welcomes organizations with a minimum of one-year operation and have existed activities in supporting startup, along with an expectation in exerting influence and in contributing to the Vientam startup ecosystem. Specifically, those partners are encouraged to come up with creative proposals which are capable of mobilizing various elements and resources in the ecosystem to co-perform the missions.