USAID’s Improving Private Sector Competitiveness (IPSC) project is providing customized technical assistance to 60 pioneering enterprises (PEs) to help them add value to products through the application of Vietnamese intellectual property, nurturing them to become sustainable models for other small and growing businesses (SGBs) to emulate and scale up. In the first round of submissions from January - March 2022, IPSC received 154 applications from potential PEs seeking project support. After conducting an initial screening assessment, 28 enterprises were shortlisted. To initiate USAID support, IPSC has conducted scoping visits for the 28 PE candidates in June to consolidate information into business profiles for a PE Selection Committee to determine enterprises qualified to receive customized technical assistance for up to two years, depending on their situation, needs, development capacity, commitment to participate, and willingness to co-invest.
USAID’s assistance through this project will help selected Vietnamese PEs to scale up current operations and product distribution to become more efficient, expand exports if appropriate, and increase their revenue. Ultimately, the PEs are expected to become mentors and leading champions for other SGBs in their respective sector to sustain, replicate, and scale-up successes.
