Nguyen Duy Ngoc (right), Politburo member, Chairman of the Party Central Committee's Inspection Commission, pays a working trip to SITRA, the Finnish Innovation Fund (Photo: VNA)  

A Vietnamese delegation led by Nguyen Duy Ngoc, Politburo member, Chairman of the Party Central Committee's Inspection Commission, and Deputy Head of the Central Steering Committee for the Development of Science, Technology, Innovation and Digital Transformation, visited SITRA, the Finnish Innovation Fund, and space technology firm ICEYE to exchange experiences and explore cooperation opportunities.

The working trip took place as part of the official visit to Finland by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee To Lam, his spouse, and a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation from October 20–22.

At the meeting with SITRA - an independent public foundation which operates directly under the supervision of the Finnish Parliament, on October 21, the Vietnamese delegation studied the fund’s foresight-based model for national strategy development and its methodology for researching and forecasting global trends and long-term challenges. These insights help SITRA design policy scenarios for science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation with a proactive and forward-looking approach.

Discussions covered SITRA’s process and methodology in conducting foresight research and identifying major trends to provide policy advice to the Finnish Parliament, as well as the fund's governance and operation model. The two sides exchanged views on SITRA’s pioneering work in developing the world’s first National Roadmap for a Circular Economy and organising the World Circular Economy Forum. The Vietnamese delegation learned about SITRA’s large-scale social experiments addressing issues such as population aging, healthcare reform, and lifelong learning.

On October 22, the delegation visited ICEYE to explore how space technologies can support Vietnam’s response to climate change, and sustainable development. With Vietnam’s long coastline and vulnerability to storms and floods, ICEYE’s synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite constellation offers valuable tools for near real-time flood mapping, early warning, and damage assessment, as well as for maritime security and resources management.

The Vietnamese delegation also studied ICEYE’s successful deep-tech commercialisation journey, from a university research project to a global space technology company. The visit offered lessons on research commercialisation, one of the key priorities under Vietnam’s Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW.

Both sides discussed ICEYE’s satellite imaging capabilities, data applications for Vietnam, and potential cooperation in training, technology transfer, and pilot projects tailored to national needs. They also exchanged views on possible partnerships between ICEYE and Viettel Group.

ICEYE operates the world’s largest commercial SAR satellite constellation, providing continuous, near real-time Earth observation regardless of weather or lighting conditions. Its data support governments and industries in disaster management, insurance, finance, agriculture, and environmental monitoring./.