Meeting the 2023 EEPA Jury – Elisabeth Backteman

Each year, as part of the European Enterprise Promotion Awards (EEPA), we take the opportunity to introduce you to our esteemed jury members. They bear the responsibility of selecting the most innovative and exciting competition entries, ultimately determining the winner of the Grand Jury Prize. This time it is the turn of Elisabeth Backteman, who represents the Swedish presidency of the European Union on this year’s Jury. Read on to see what advice Elizabeth has for this year’s participants.

Elisabeth Backteman’s impressive career spans various senior roles within the Swedish government. With her background as State Secretary for the ministries of Justice and Economy, Trade and Industry, she possesses extensive knowledge in policymaking. Currently serving as the Director General for the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth (Tillväxtverket) and the SME-envoy for Sweden, Elisabeth plays a pivotal role in promoting economic growth and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Her experience in finance, quality management, and business policy provides a valuable perspective when evaluating the impact of EEPA projects.

What do you think makes this competition unique in Europe?

It celebrates entrepreneurship broadly throughout the EU.

How would you advise future participants on how to make their application stand out from the rest and include the information that you need to evaluate the project? 

Focus on tangible results and describe it in an easy-to-grasp manner.

What do you think the jury members will be specifically looking for in the EEPA 2023 competition?

Inspiring initiatives that can show tangible results on the ground.

Which are the top 3 qualities you will look for in a winning project?

A clearly described idea, well explained results and a method that can be used elsewhere.

We will introduce you to the other members of the 2023 EEPA jury soon – so make sure to visit the Promoting Enterprise portal regularly and follow us on Twitter and Facebook for all the latest news.