People in Ha Tinh row boats during flooding caused by prolonged heavy rain - Photo: NAM TRAN
The Net Zero Challenge 2025 green economy innovation competition is co-organized by Touchstone Partners and Temasek Foundation, in collaboration with the Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Development Studies (HIDS) and supported by the global innovation partnership network.
This year, participating teams will compete for a total prize pool of more than VND21 billion, of which VND15 billion is non-equity cash funding for the top three teams and the remainder includes investment prizes and additional support from investment funds and partner businesses.
To be eligible, teams must have a minimum viable product (MVP) with a clear path to commercialization. Teams can come from startups, research groups, corporate projects, or non-profit organizations that are ready to pilot at scale.
International teams that have commercialized elsewhere but wish to expand or seek strategic partnership opportunities in Vietnam are also encouraged to apply.
This year's three categories include renewable energy and carbon neutrality; sustainable food systems and agriculture ; circular economy and waste management.
The competition aims to address the funding gap for green economic solutions, while promoting ecosystem cooperation in Vietnam.
In addition to the two organizers, this year's jury will also include Vietnamese businesses pursuing sustainable development goals and venture capital funds in the region.
Ms. Ngo Thuy Ngoc Tu, director of Touchstone Partners fund, assessed that investing in early-stage green technology always faces many challenges due to longer technology development time and unclear commercialization path.
In addition to its primary role as a direct investor, Ms. Tu said Touchstone Partners will also work in parallel with partners such as Temasek Foundation to attract non-equity grants.
This can help founders focus on testing without the pressure of traditional venture capital.
Meanwhile, Ms. Heng Li Lang, Director of the Climate and Habitat Program of Temasek Foundation, said that through the program, the organizers hope to contribute to promoting cooperation, helping potential solutions scale up and create practical impacts, especially in the most severely affected places.
In addition to the organizer, this year's competition also has the participation of GS Engineering & Construction, part of GS Group (Korea), for the first time; as well as other investment partners such as Investible Fund (Australia), AiViet Ventures, ...
Vietnam is greatly affected by climate change.
Vietnam is facing increasing challenges from climate change, with direct impacts on both the environment and economic growth. According to assessments from a number of international organizations, if there are no effective adaptation measures within the next 10 years, when the Earth's temperature increases by 1 to 1.5 degrees Celsius, Vietnam's economic losses could reach 1.8% to 4.5% of GDP per year, equivalent to about 4.3 billion USD.
In recent years, extreme weather events such as storms, floods, landslides, droughts and saltwater intrusion have occurred with greater frequency and unpredictability. On average, over the past three decades, natural disasters have caused the Vietnamese economy to lose about 1% to 1.5% of GDP each year.
From now until the end of September 2025, the risk of natural disasters continues to increase. The National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting predicts that there will be about 6-7 storms operating in the East Sea, of which 2-3 are likely to directly affect the mainland. In addition, other dangerous weather phenomena such as thunderstorms, tornadoes and hail are also likely to occur on a large scale.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/giai-phap-quan-ly-rac-thai-kinh-te-tuan-hoan-co-the-nhan-giai-thuong-21-ti-dong-20250715105137159.htm
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