Open Innovation Conference 2025: Open Innovation in the Age of AI and Sustainability
December 3, 2025
On December 1st – 2nd, 2025, the Open Innovation Conference (OIC) made its official return to VinUni, marking the second edition of the annual event that brings together leading thinkers from the public sector, private industry, and academia in Vietnam and around the world. This year’s conference welcomed 300 participants and featured more than 50 peer-reviewed research papers, contributed by over 100 authors from 12 countries—a strong indication of OIC’s growing prominence and its rising influence within the global research and innovation community.
Dr. Le Mai Lan – President of the VinUniversity Council
Under the theme “Open Innovation in the Age of AI and Sustainability,” OIC 2025 continued to serve as a multidisciplinary forum on technology, policy, and economics—where emerging trends are analyzed, connected, and shaped to guide Vietnam’s green development trajectory.
The event was organized by VinUni, represented by the Smart Green Transformation Center (GREEN-X), in collaboration with the Ministry of Science and Technology of Vietnam, the Saïd Business School (University of Oxford), the SC Johnson College of Business (Cornell University), and the Center for International Development (Duke University). The conference reflects GREEN-X and VinUni’s vision of developing an open innovation ecosystem that brings global knowledge closer to Vietnam’s needs, challenges, and opportunities.
It brought together government leaders, policymakers, renowned scholars, and pioneering industry representatives to discuss key issues such as AI and robotics, green technology, circular economy, renewable energy, digital health, and semiconductors – fields considered critical drivers of growth in the era of digital and green transformation.
Professor Chenming Hu – Professor Emeritus, University of California
Professor Wim Vanhaverbeke – Professor of Digital Strategy and Innovation, University of Antwerp
A highlight of this year’s conference was the participation of two globally influential keynote speakers: Professor Chenming Hu, the “father of FinFET”—the foundation of most modern semiconductor chips; and Professor Wim Vanhaverbeke, a leading scholar in the field of Open Innovation. Their keynote addresses offered fresh perspectives on the role of science and technology in socio-economic development.
In addition to the plenary sessions, the conference hosted two panel discussions focusing on open innovation in the semiconductor industry and business model innovation in the digital age, featuring representatives from the Ministry of Science and Technology, the University of California – Berkeley, the University of Antwerp, and Vietnam National University. A series of thematic sessions explored a wide range of areas, including digital health, artificial intelligence, sustainable agriculture, smart green technologies, transportation and renewable energy, and green finance, providing comprehensive insights spanning research, technology applications, and market opportunities.
Notably, this year’s conference featured two special sessions. The first was the launch of the latest report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Viet Nam, titled “The Next Great Divergence:Why AI May Widen Inequality Between Countries,” which presented key findings on the impact of AI on global disparities. Complementing this was the launch of the “Regional Global Innovation Index (GII) in Viet Nam,” led by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), providing an important dataset for assessing innovation capacity across provinces and supporting future policymaking and regional development strategies.
Learn more about UNDP’s session here: https://www.undp.org/vietnam/press-releases/ai-could-widen-global-inequalities-viet-nam-preparing-harness-opportunities-undp-report-finds
With its multidisciplinary expertise and the partnership of leading global academic institutions, OIC 2025 continues to affirm its significance as a prestigious academic and technological forum, one that nurtures breakthrough ideas, fosters open collaboration, and contributes to shaping sustainable solutions for Vietnam’s future.
News about OIC 2025:
Nhan Dan Newspaper: New thinking for the age of AI and sustainable development
