Ha Noi, 26 September 2025 — The Agency for Innovation, Green Transition and Industry Promotion (IGIP) — Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT), the Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Viet Nam, and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) held the closing ceremony for Batches 1 and 2 of the Training-of-Trainers (ToT) Programme on energy-efficiency (EE) entrepreneurship in Ha Noi.

Under the EU-funded Accelerating Innovative Start-ups for Energy Efficiency (AIS4EE) project, this ToT programme forms part of AIS4EE’s ecosystem-building effort to support early-stage entrepreneurs and mainstream energy-efficiency innovation in training and academic institutions in Viet Nam.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Lam Giang, Director General of IGIP. Photo: GGGI

In her opening remarks, Ms. Nguyen Thi Lam Giang, Director General of IGIP, underlined that AIS4EE’s ToT programme was designed to contribute to the implementation of key government directions and policies on sustainable energy development, energy security, and greenhouse-gas emission reduction, while aligning with the objectives of the recent Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW on breakthroughs in science, technology, innovation, and national digital transformation. She affirmed that by developing a network of expert trainers, the training programme laid the groundwork for a green startup ecosystem, where innovative ideas, advanced technologies, and an entrepreneurial spirit were nurtured and took root across the community.

Photo: GGGI

Ms. Kristina Bünde, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Viet Nam, noted that university lecturers and experts were a key resource for energy efficiency in Viet Nam, helping disseminate entrepreneurship knowledge and practical, international experience. She emphasised their crucial role in carrying technical and applied know-how to students, young entrepreneurs, and professionals who would shape the country’s energy future.

Ms. Kristina Bünde, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Viet Nam Photo: GGGI

Opened in June 2025, AIS4EE’s ToT Programme completed two consecutive ten-day training batches. The training activities were organised by Saigon Innovation Hub (SIHUB) and RCEE-NIRAS, with academic cooperation from the SEPT International Centre, Leipzig University (Germany).

Batch 1 comprised an intensive module in Ha Noi (June 2025) and an ecosystem field study on EE entrepreneurship ecosystem in Leipzig, Germany (August 2025). Batch 2 ran 15–26 September 2025 in Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City under a “handover” format, with Batch-1 graduates co-teaching, refining the syllabus, and practicing delivery for Batch 2. The curriculum was built to reflect real-world needs and market relevance, including policy updates and sectoral EE opportunities (across industry, buildings, transport), applied up-to-date EE technologies, teaching methodology and mentoring for entrepreneurship, and venture tools (business-model design, market research, fundraising), complemented by case studies and exposure to international experience for contextualization in Viet Nam.

Speaking at the event, Ms. Maria Cecilia Paña, Deputy Country Representative of GGGI to Viet Nam, noted that strengthening entrepreneurial skills and guidance for young innovators is key to unlocking energy-efficiency innovation, which, in turn, supports Viet Nam’s green-growth and net-zero ambitions in line with global trends.

Ms. Maria Cecilia Paña, Deputy Country Representative of GGGI to Viet Nam Photo: GGGI

Across the two cohorts, the training programme brought together over a hundred lecturers and experts from universities, training institutions, and innovation centres nationwide. The effort has reinforced professional linkages and formed a trainer–mentor–expert network for EE and entrepreneurship, equipped to co-develop training modules, support acceleration programmes, and provide targeted upskilling for actors across Viet Nam’s EE startup ecosystem.

Photo: GGGI

Under the EU – Viet Nam Sustainable Energy Transition Programme (SETP*), AIS4EE project is funded by the European Union (EU), hosted by the MOIT, and co-funded and implemented by GGGI. AIS4EE aims to accelerate innovation in energy efficiency by improving access to finance, enhancing policy environments, and advancing ecosystem-enabling conditions particularly in industry, transport, and buildings sectors.
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*Note: The EU and the Government of Viet Nam are working together on a sustainable energy transition in Viet Nam. For this purpose, the EU and the Government of Viet Nam adopted the SETP on 31 December 2021. This joint programme re-affirms the EU’s close cooperation and long-term commitment to Viet Nam’s goal of sustainable energy transition towards net-zero by 2050.

The SETP, with an EU grant of EUR 142 million, will be implemented from 2022 to 2027. It follows the success of the EU – Viet Nam Energy Sector Policy Support Programme, a EUR 108 million grant by the EU for Viet Nam implemented from 2018 to 2021. For more information, please visit: https://setp.vn/about-setp/