Office of Innovation

The Office of Innovation

The Office of Innovation (hereafter referred as the Office) is a specialized functional unit responsible for advising the Director of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) on State management activities related to innovation, creative startups, and Intellectual Property (IP).
I. Duties and Powers
1. Advisory Role on Legal Drafting and Po licy Implementation
The Office is mandated to advise on the development and implementation of various policy and regulatory documents:
• Drafting Submissions to the Provincial People's Committee (PPC): Advising on the drafting of decisions submitted to the PPC and organizing their implementation after issuance or approval, which include:
    ◦ Draft decisions of the PPC related to the managed field.
    ◦ Draft plans for the development of the sector; programs, and organizational measures for executing tasks within the managed field.
    ◦ Draft decisions concerning the decentralization and delegation of state management duties in the managed field to the Department or commune/ward-level People's Committees.
    ◦ Draft decisions implementing the socialization of public non-business service provision activities within its managed field, under the PPC’s authority and according to regulated decentralization.
• Drafting Submissions to the PPC Chairman: Advising on the drafting of documents under the issuing authority of the PPC Chairman related to the managed field.
• Guidance and Synthesis: Advising on guidance, monitoring, and synthesizing the implementation results of provincial departments, sectors, and commune/ward-level People's Committees concerning management within the assigned fields.
• Management and Licensing: Advising on the management, registration, granting, adjustment, revocation, and extension of various types of permits, certificates, registrations, diplomas, and certifications within the assigned management field.
• Financial Planning: Coordinating the planning, development, proposal, and organization of the execution of the estimated expenditure for development investment and S&T non-business activities from the annual state budget specifically allocated for the managed fields. Monitoring and inspecting the utilization of state budget funds proposed by the Office, in accordance with regulations.
2. Innovation
The Office manages and promotes innovation activities within the province:
• Management and Policy: Managing innovation activities; constructing, guiding, inspecting, and organizing the implementation of mechanisms and policies for incentives, support, and encouragement for the development of innovation, and mobilizing investment resources for innovation at the local level.
• Implementation and Regulatory Sandbox: Guiding and organizing the deployment of innovation activities; guiding and implementing the application of the controlled testing framework (regulatory sandbox) for new technologies, processes, solutions, products, services, or new business models.
• Ecosystem Development: Developing the local innovation system with enterprises as the central focus; establishing local regulations supporting innovation.
• Organizational Network: Guiding the establishment, management, and development of the local system of innovation organizations and innovation support organizations within its jurisdiction. Organizing the identification of innovation centers and innovation support organizations according to legal regulations; constructing, operating, and developing the local innovation network.
• Innovation Index: Chairing and coordinating with relevant agencies to collect, synthesize, and provide information and data, propose solutions, and implement actions to build and enhance the local innovation index.
3. Creative Startups
The Office manages and nurtures the local creative startup ecosystem:
• Management and Guidance: Managing and guiding technology incubation and creative startup activities. Constructing, guiding, inspecting, and organizing the implementation of mechanisms and policies for identifying, recognizing, providing incentives, support, and encouragement for the development of technology incubation facilities, technical facilities, co-working spaces, startup individuals/groups/enterprises, creative startup consultants, creative startup support organizations, investors for creative startups, and other subjects of the creative startup ecosystem, within its jurisdiction.
• Certification and Oversight: Guiding the establishment and certification of creative startup enterprises within its jurisdiction. Monitoring, inspecting, and synthesizing the situation and operational results of creative startup enterprises as prescribed. Coordinating with relevant agencies to implement state incentives and support policies for creative startup enterprises as stipulated by law.
• Ecosystem Development and Investment: Managing and developing the local creative startup ecosystem. Promoting the mobilization of investment resources for creative startups, technology incubation, and creative startup enterprise incubation at the local level.
• Infrastructure and Networking: Managing, guiding, and organizing the deployment and development of the system of creative startup support organizations, technology incubation facilities, and co-working spaces supporting creative startups. Constructing, operating, and developing the network of creative startups, experts, mentors, and investors within the managed scope in the province.
• Support Programs and Events: Developing and deploying programs, schemes, and projects to support technology incubation and creative startup enterprise incubation. Directing and organizing events related to technology incubation and creative startup enterprise incubation within its jurisdiction and as prescribed by law.
4. Intellectual Property and Initiatives
The Office manages IP activities, particularly industrial property and local initiatives:
• Strategy and Industrial Property: Organizing the implementation of strategies, master plans, programs, plans, and tasks related to the Intellectual Property (IP) field within the delegated scope. Implementing measures to support the development of industrial property activities.
• Guidance and Geographic Indications: Providing professional guidance on industrial property to organizations and individuals. Managing, building, and developing geographic indications, trademarks using local place names, and other signs indicating the geographical origin of local products, as stipulated by law and based on competent authority decentralization.
• Support and Enforcement: Guiding and supporting organizations and individuals in carrying out industrial property procedures. Chairing and coordinating with related agencies to protect industrial property rights and handle violations of industrial property law as prescribed.
• Initiative Management: Managing initiative activities. Chairing the deployment of measures to disseminate, encourage, and promote invention, initiative, and creative activities locally. Organizing the consideration and approval for the recognition of initiatives created with state investment funding or material-technical means, as stipulated by law.
• State Management: Assisting the Provincial People's Committee in performing State management duties concerning IP for related fields, as stipulated by law and based on the decentralization and delegation of the PPC.
5. Coordination and Miscellaneous Duties
• Inspection and Complaint Resolution: Coordinating with functional divisions, affiliated units of the Department, and related agencies in conducting inspection, examination, and resolution of complaints and denunciations concerning matters related to the Office's duties.
• Other Duties: Executing other tasks assigned by the Director of the Department in accordance with legal provisions.