Entrepreneurial spirit to be recognised by enterprise awards
The European Commission has announced the details of the finalists competing at the European Enterprise Promotion Awards 2014.
A high level jury representing business, government and academia reviewed the entries and established a shortlist of 22 nominees in six categories. Joanna Drake, director of the SMEs and Entrepreneurship Directorate in DG Enterprise and Industry, chaired the jury.
Nominated in the category of ‘Promoting the entrepreneurial spirit’ are projects from Austria, Hungary, Lithuania and the Netherlands. In the category ‘Investing in entrepreneurial skills’, researchers from Bulgaria, Germany, Serbia and the UK are in the running. For the prise of ‘Improving the business environment’, Austria, Italy, Spain and the UK are nominated. In the ‘Supporting the internationalisation of business’ category, there is tough competition between France, Italy, the Netherlands, Malta, Portugal and Turkey. In the final category, ‘Responsible and inclusive entrepreneurship’, projects from France, Germany, Poland and Portugal are competing.
The winners of each of the six categories will be announced during a central event of the European SME Week, the SME Assembly, on 2 October 2014 in Naples, Italy, to which all nominees will be invited. One project will also receive the Grand Jury Prize, which will be awarded by Ferdinando Nelli Feroci, the recently appointed European Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship.
The first European Enterprise Promotion Awards were held in 2006 and reward excellence in promoting entrepreneurship and small business at a national, regional and local level. Participants are national, regional or local authorities or public private partnerships. Over 2,800 projects have entered since the awards were launched, and the awards have supported the creation of over 10,000 new companies.
The awards aim to identify and recognise successful activities and initiatives in promoting enterprise and entrepreneurship, showcasing and sharing examples of best entrepreneurship policies and practices.
