EnterpriseUpfront highlights a selection of this year’s winners.
Winner of the Entrepreneurship Promotion Award which recognises initiatives promoting an entrepreneurial culture and encouraging creativity, innovation and risk was Instituto IDEAS, Universidad Politecnica de Valencia (UPV), Valencia Spain. www.ideas.upv.es
The Instituto IDEAS helps generate new business opportunities and innovative technology-based companies in Valencia focusing on helping young entrepreneurs get their projects started. A key to its success is the building of networks between stakeholders in the Valencian Innovation System by liaising with centres and institutions to foster an entrepreneurial spirit; promoting and developing new research and educational projects to do with entrepreneurship and business start-ups.
Winner of the Enterprise Development Award which recognises policies promoting enterprise, facilitating access to national and international markets and attracting investment particularly in disadvantaged areas was Gothia Science Park (GSP), Enterprise and Community Building Sector, Municipality of Skovde, Sweden. www.skovde.se
The GSP introduced three activities to support business development in the region: GSP Inkubator for newly formed enterprises, GSP Teknipark a creative environment for growing businesses, and GSP Projektarena a meeting place for researchers, companies and the community that provides support for developing new projects.
Winner of the Investment in Skills Award which recognises initiatives that improve entrepreneurial, vocational, technical and managerial skills was Knowledge, skills, support – from entrepreneur to entrepreneur, The Women’s Enterprise Agency, Helsinki, Finland. www.nyek.fi
The Agency which encourages women to become entrepreneurs adopts a ‘one entrepreneur supporting another’ model and has given expert mentoring to rising small and medium-sized enterprises (SME’s).
Winner of the Responsible and Inclusive Entrepreneurship Award that recognises actions promoting corporate social responsibility and sustainable business practices in the social and or environmental sphere was Getting people into work, The Waldkirch Employment and Qualification Company (WABE), Waldkirch, Germany. www.wabe-waldkirch.de
WABE is a local network of citizens, private enterprises and government authorities helping to integrate employed people with special placement problems through a holistic approach of practical training, socio-pedagogical coaching and temporary placements.
The Jury’s Grand Prize was awarded to The Scarborough Renaissance Partnership, North Yorkshire, UK. www.scarborough.gov.uk
The project with support from the community has successfully changed the fortunes of the seaside town and created a place bustling with enterprise excellence. The project has developed a creative and cultural sector along with workspace within the town.