EEPA 2023 National Winners - Promoting the Entrepreneurial Spirit

It is with great pleasure that we announce the national winners in this year’s European Enterprise Promotion Awards (EEPA) that have made it to the next stage of the competition in EEPA Category 1 – Promoting the Entrepreneurial Spirit. From 301, divided into 6 Categories, projects that entered the national competitions in 30 countries, 55 projects will now advance to the European stage of the competition.

EEPA Category 1: Promoting the Entrepreneurial Spirit, 17 projects are part of this category which recognises initiatives that promote an entrepreneurial mind-set, especially among young people and women. As in previous years, the EEPA national coordinators selected the top national projects, from which the most innovative were chosen to continue to the next phase of the competition. Now, the EEPA 2023 European jury will review the entries and decide on a final shortlist.

We have kept you waiting long enough – so let’s take a closer look at the exciting projects in Category 1 that have made it to the next stage of the competition. The projects are presented by country:Austria: Innovation Network Kitzbühel (INK) is a networking hub for local companies, entrepreneurs and research institutions, allowing them to inspire and support each other.

• Cyprus: Promotion of Academic Entrepreneurship in Cyprus is a public-private initiative offering an equity-free acceleration programme for researchers.
• Czech Republic: Podnikavá mysl - Entrepreneurial Mindset supports primary and secondary school teachers in the South Moravian Region, helping their pupils succeed in a constantly changing world.
• Estonia: OBJEKT aims to increase the awareness and experience of creative and start-up entrepreneurship and to promote an entrepreneurial spirit in the Ida-Virumaa region.
• Finland: Bisnes Lande–Project promotes entrepreneurship among young people by bringing together young entrepreneurs from different municipalities.
• Germany: Campus der Löwen – Entrepreneurship Day at University Of Applied Sciences Ansbach is an event day providing an opportunity for students to pitch a start-up idea.
• Hungary: Széchenyi Kártya Programme (SZKP) aims to provide financial solutions adapted to the financing needs of enterprises, offering loans on favourable terms and with short lead times.
• Ireland: THRIVE4Women Programme supports women to launch and pursue STEM careers and businesses across three key pillars – capability, connections and confidence.
• Italy: Percorsi d’Impresa is a public programme to support entrepreneurship in young people from Puglia, through networking and individual meetings, interactive workshops, and more.
• Latvia: Vidzeme Innovation Programme for Students – VIPS is a support programme that provides an opportunity for students to implement innovative business ideas individually or in teams.
• Poland: Przedsiębiorcze Krakowianki aims to strengthen the position of women, living or working in Krakow by building their competences in setting up and running their own business.
• Romania: Future Makers is an entrepreneurial education programme connecting and supporting young people from Romania and Central and Eastern Europe.
• Slovakia: OpenLab is an education ecosystem focussing on IT training primarily in formal education at secondary schools and, secondly, in the education of teachers and the private sector.
• Slovenia: MLADI INCASTRA organises interactive workshops for elementary school students who participate in role-playing activities, supervised by mentors.
• Spain: IMPULSO EMPRENDE promotes entrepreneurship among primary school children and vocational training students, who work on an entrepreneurial project throughout the year.
• Turkey: The Youth Idea Bus Project raises awareness of entrepreneurship at an early age, developing the skills of high school students to produce innovative business ideas.
• Ukraine: Ukrainian Business Forum "LadyFest" is an innovative business forum that brings together women entrepreneurs and leaders from different regions of Ukraine.

All the EEPA national winners will receive invitations to the Awards Ceremony at the annual SME Assembly in Bilbao in November, where the winners in each category will be announced. This year the event will be co-hosted by the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the European Commission. At the SME Assembly, the jury will also announce the winner of the Jury’s Grand Prize, which can be from any category - the Grand Prize goes to the entry that the jury considers to be the most creative and inspiring entrepreneurship initiative in Europe.

If you would like to find out more about the European Enterprise Promotion Awards, visit the Promoting Enterprise News Portal, where we will also publish news on the national winners in the other EEPA categories. To stay up to date on EEPA news, make sure to check in to the portal regularly, and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all the latest news.