In a rapidly changing business environment, innovation is a critical driver of success that transforms challenges into opportunities, creating new frontiers for growth and impact. Organizations that fail to innovate risk becoming obsolete. This has been a growing concern for the Philippine’s MSME sector. Recent studies conducted in the Philippines have indicated a lack of robust innovation management systems among local MSMEs, thus making it imperative to learn the best practices of leading successful global enterprises.

An individual-country observational study mission (IOSM) was hosted by the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Support Center 2 (SMEDEC 2) and the Directorate for Standards, Metrology and Quality (STAMEQ) in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 7–11 August. The mission aimed at improving innovation management in Philippine Department of Science and Technology’s (DOST) Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program (SETUP)-assisted MSMEs.

The delegation consisted of eight participants from DOST across seven regions of the Philippines. Under the guidance of two local resource persons, they discussed Vietnam’s innovation policies, mechanisms, and enterprise culture. Site visits to key Vietnamese institutions such as Quality Assurance and Testing Center 3 (QUATEST 3), Saigon Hi-Tech Park (SHTP) Training Center, and Ho Chi Minh City Department of Science and Technology, provided delegates with firsthand observations of innovation management implementation.

The IOSM was a resounding success, providing invaluable insights and fostering partnerships for future collaboration. This mission represented a significant step toward improving innovation management in the Philippines, particularly in the policy development sector. Mission members are expected to conduct dissemination sessions within DOST to share their newly acquired knowledge and integrate the learning into their program and project planning.