A nation’s growth strategy works best when it builds on core strengths and nurtures the people who will carry it forward. Acting on this belief, Vietnam Food Joint Stock Company (VNF) welcomed a group of interns from Board IV (the Private Economic Development Research Board) and shared how its research turns shrimp by-products into valuable inputs — a practical model of the circular economy from shrimp by-products. The visit showed young talent that innovation need not start from something grand; it can begin by re-examining the resources already at hand.