VNU-USSH students and their passion for Green Business Entrepreneurship.

The workshop program consists of a series of three sessions held from July 19-21, 2023 at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, with the participation of many experts, CEOs from organizations and businesses, and students from several universities in Hanoi. This activity is part of the international workshop "Startup for Impact" under the ClimateLaunchpad Vietnam - ClimateLaunchpad Bootcamp: Training in Green Start-ups competition.
The workshop received attention and participation from leaders of units under the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU Hanoi: Dr. Trinh Van Dinh - Head of the Scientific Research Management Department; Dr. Pham Hoang Hung - Head of the Cooperation and Development Department; Dr. Ta Thi Bich Ngoc - Secretary of the University Youth Union; Mr. Duong Tat Thanh - Deputy Secretary of the University Youth Union, President of the University Student Association; Le Nguyen Cam Ly - Vice President of the VNU-USSH Student Association.
The workshop was honored to welcome Mr. Michael Siegner - Head Representative of the Hanns Seidel Foundation Vietnam (HSF); Ms. Trinh Ngoc Mai - Director of the HSF Vietnam program; Mr. Nguyen Hong Long - Director of the Center for Research, Consulting, Innovation and Sustainable Development (CCS); Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Minh Tan - Director of the Institute for Research and Development of Applied Natural Compounds, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, along with more than 30 students from universities in Hanoi participating in the Green Business Startup Competition.

Green Business Startup – Fueling the entrepreneurial passion of VNU-USSH students.
The "Five Good Students" movement of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (USSH) was launched and implemented from the beginning of the 2022-2023 academic year with a series of different activities. Among them, the "Five Good Students Week - Twinkle Week 2023" returned in a new, larger-scale, and more practical format through the collaboration of the Youth Union, the Student Association of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU, the Hanns Seidel Stiftung (HSF), and the Center for Research, Consulting, Innovation and Sustainable Development (CCS). At this program, VNU-USSH students had the opportunity to test their skills in the Green Business Startup (CLP) competition alongside students from many prestigious universities nationwide.
CLP is the world's largest green business startup competition, originating in the Netherlands in 2014 and now held in 60 countries. Vietnam began participating in and organizing CLP in 2019, and by 2022, two teams had reached the global finals.
Students participating in the CLP program will enhance their knowledge of impactful business, refine their business models, manage finances, and calculate greenhouse gas emissions throughout the product lifecycle, guided by leading experts from both domestic and international backgrounds. Students will receive support in accessing clean energy projects, sustainable production and consumption, and financing from potential investors and sponsors. They will also be supported in expanding their green entrepreneurship network, participating in startup communities, and networking events with relevant ministries/departments and experts in the field. Furthermore, participating projects will have their brands promoted to the international green business startup community.
At this competition, students will have the opportunity to participate in discussion sessions with CLP Vietnam experts, such as: Dr. Tran Luong Son - Senior expert in business strategy and impact assessment for start-ups; Ms. Dang Bao Khanh - Senior expert in finance and product development; Mr. Ron Bloemers - International expert from CLP Netherlands with over 25 years of practical experience in the global clean technology industry; Mr. Richard D. McClellan - Independent strategic and policy advisor, Member of the Judging Panel for the 2022 CLP National Finals…

Speaking at the workshop, Dr. Trinh Van Dinh, Head of the Department of Management and Scientific Research, stated that the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, as a core member of the Vietnam National University, Hanoi, with its mission to lead in training high-quality, highly skilled human resources, has created favorable conditions for unleashing the creative potential, thinking skills, and entrepreneurial spirit in many generations of students. The support of organizations and businesses for VNU-USSH students in the Green Business Startup Competition will contribute to realizing students' passion for business and entrepreneurship from their time in school, helping them learn from the experience of the domestic and international startup community. Dr. Trinh Van Dinh emphasized that the keyword "Green Startup" throughout the workshop series will also be an integral part of VNU-USSH students' future entrepreneurial journey.

Highly appreciating the eagerness to learn shown by students of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Mr. Michael Siegner - Head Representative of the Hanns Seidel Foundation Vietnam (HSF), said that HSF is proud to accompany and support university students, including VNU-USSH students, in their entrepreneurial journey. The representative of the organizing unit also hoped that the students would develop the ideas from the competition to achieve successful startups.
At the workshop, VNU-USSH students listened to presentations from experts in the field of green entrepreneurship on topics such as promoting innovation and entrepreneurship in universities, and impactful business entrepreneurship. Many new insights and lessons learned from the experts provided VNU-USSH students with a comprehensive view of green business startup models in Vietnam and around the world.

VNU-USSH students and their advantages in realizing their entrepreneurial dreams.
From a student's perspective on the story of creativity and entrepreneurship, Khuất Thị Thanh Mai, Vice Head of the Humanities Entrepreneurship Support Club (SURE), said that students, especially those from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU Hanoi, are very enthusiastic and have great potential and passion for entrepreneurship.

From the first year, with 02 compulsory courses:"Entrepreneurship" and "Creative Thinking and Idea Design"Thanh Mai and many other VNU-USSH students have been inspired and equipped with knowledge and skills to ignite their passion for entrepreneurship. Accordingly, during their studies, VNU-USSH students have been encouraged to develop business ideas based on products found in their daily lives.
According to Thanh Mai, she received support from her teachers and the Youth Union to submit her "Electronic Waste Recycling" idea to various competitions. Her idea reached the Top 24 in the VNU Startup - Innovation Competition in 2021 and won second prize in the same competition in 2022. The VNU-USSH student is continuing to develop her product to participate in an innovation competition in Taiwan in 2023.
A K65 student majoring in Social Work, Faculty of Sociology, shared:Students at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, have great potential in developing startup ideas and receiving support from the university to realize those ideas. Therefore, VNU-USSH students are completely confident in pursuing their entrepreneurial passion even while still in university.”
Drawing from her entrepreneurial experience in her second year, the student advised fellow students, when realizing their startup business ideas, to seek out like-minded individuals who trust each other and are knowledgeable about the startup field. In addition to finding partners who are experts in areas such as business administration, human resource management, product development, communications, and marketing, student entrepreneurs need to cultivate, learn, and expand their network within the community.A thirst for learning is a prerequisite for developing skills in entrepreneurship." - Thanh Mai said.  

In response to students' questions about the difficulties faced by Social Sciences and Humanities students when starting a business, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Minh Tan - Director of the Institute for Research and Development of Applied Natural Compounds, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, assessed that students of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities have many advantages when starting a business, with vibrant entrepreneurship clubs, skills training through courses, and support from the university throughout the entrepreneurial process. In particular, students of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, possess creative thinking and a thirst for learning, making entrepreneurship not difficult.
The ClimateLaunchpad 2023 competition will take place from January 2023 to October 2023 through the following rounds:
Round 1: March 1st – May 10th, 2023
Application selection round: June 2023
Bootcamp training series with international experts from the Netherlands: July 2023
One-on-one training sessions with National Advisors on Green Startups: July-August 2023
National Finals (10 teams selected for the Final Round): August 2023
Asian Regional Finals (3 winning teams from the National Finals): September 2023
In-depth consultation for the 10 National Finalist teams: August-October 2023

Here are some photos from the workshop:          
   
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