The 2024 European Enterprise Promotion Awards (EEPA) competition celebrates initiatives which promote entrepreneurship and SMEs at the national, regional, and local levels from across Europe. 

From 442 entries across 29 countries, the following initiatives are in Category 1, titled 'Promoting the Entrepreneurial Spirit', which recognises initiatives that promote an entrepreneurial spirit, particularly amongst women and young people. 

Bulgaria: Promotion of the cooperative model among young people as an opportunity for development of the social and solidary economy, Central Cooperative Union

This initiative aims to support young people by promoting the cooperative model, recognising its importance in supporting professional growth whilst working in organisations which effectively address socio-economic issues, from unemployment to inequality. This people-centred approach equips young people with professional business skills whilst promoting sustainable, solidarity-based economic development. 

Croatia: Entrepreneurship Center Coworking Pula 

The 'Entrepreneurship Center Coworking Pula' was established by the Istrian Development Agency (IDA). Opening in 2023, the state-of-the-art Coworking centre in Pula's city centre is designed to service entrepreneurs, freelancers, and other local entrepreneurs by providing an affordable facility providing supportive services such as advisory, expert, and informational support for SMEs particularly in the areas of IT and high-value-added services. By reducing information asymmetries, the project encourages essential business knowledge and skills for firms to ensure a higher performance rate for start-ups. 

Denmark: Women in Front Odense 

City of Odense created the Women in Front organisation in Odense, Denmark, to tackle the structural barriers that hinder women from becoming entrepreneurs. Women make up only about 25% of all entrepreneurs in Denmark; Women in Front addresses key barriers such as limited access to capital, lack of professional networks and female role models, economic uncertainty, lower self-confidence, and work-life balance challenges by enhancing visibility, collaborating with investors, and attracting media attention to female entrepreneurs.

Estonia: Entrepreneur account 

The Estonian Tax and Customs Board created 'the Entrepreneur account' as a streamlined and affordable way for individuals to operate as entrepreneurs without the burden of bureaucracy, developed by a public-private partnership between Estonia's Tax and Customs Board and LHV Pank. By simplifying how small businesses and start-ups pay taxes, the account aims to encourage willingness to pay taxes honestly. 

France: Pépite

Pépite was set up by the Ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche across France, to promote entrepreneurship amongst students and graduates. The programme has supported over 40,000 young entrepreneurs since its launch in 2014. By leveraging the expertise of higher education institutions and fostering connections with entrepreneurial mentors and partners, Pépite strengthens the regional ecosystems encourages entrepreneurial ventures. 

Germany: Silicon Vilstal

In Germany, Silicon Vilstal gUG - the Social Economy Cluster, connects social enterprises with rural regions fostering practical entrepreneurship and innovation in rural areas. In real-world laboratories, social innovations are further developed and tested together, benefitting both the rural regional ecosystem and the social enterprises themselves by addressing the need for innovation solutions and enhancing rural economic resilience. 

Greece: Innovation Business Observatory (IBO)

The Region of Crete's Innovation Business Observatory (IBO) aims at strengthening the island of Crete's entrepreneurship through focusing on the connection with the research and knowledge generated by academic institutions. Key initiatives, offered free of charge include the "Idea Incubator" and "InnoDays 2023 – Crete of Knowledge and Production," which align with the Smart Specialization Strategy (RIS3Crete), highlighting and promoting entrepreneurial opportunities.

Italy: NIDI – Nuove Iniziative D’Impresa

From Italy, the initiative NIDI – Nuove Iniziative D’Impresa of the Regione Puglia is a regional measure which provides financial support to new businesses, targeted at female and young entrepreneurs, those which hire 50% of their staff in disadvantaged employment situations, and in the regional tourist sector. Investments come in the form of non-repayable grants, zero interest loans, and bonuses to foster entrepreneurship and energise the local start-up ecosystem. 

Latvia: Valmieras Industriālā parka attīstība 

Valmiera Industrial Park by Valmieras novada pašvaldības has been actively communicated by the municipality, highlighting its funding, planned infrastructure, and other business. Valmiera's consistent efforts in industrial development have led to significant growth, with the business park aiming to contribute massively to the regional industrial ecosystem by fostering business development and job creation to reduce disparities between different regions.

Luxembourg: House of Startups 

Powered by the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce, House of Startups is a vibrant hub for the country's start-up ecosystem. Anchored by four leading incubators and accelerators housing 175 start-ups, including the Luxembourg-City Incubator (LCI) and the House of Financial Technology (LHoFT), HoST amplifies impact through collaborative initiatives like the Luxembourg Open Innovation Club (LOIC). Numerous events are hosted at the campus from hackathons to international events to catalyse entrepreneurship whilst bringing investors and visionaries together.

Montenegro: International Market of Entrepreneurial Ideas - IDEALAND

IDEALAND is an event held at the University of Donja Gorica which encourages the development of business ideas amongst high-school and university-aged entrepreneurs from Montenegro by enabling students to showcase and pitch their ideas. The pitches, supplying the ideas, are delivered to a cohort of investors from Montenegro and abroad, thus bringing together young visionaries with potential investors who can get their ideas off the ground. 

Netherlands: Investing in Entrepreneurship and Financing of the Cultural and Creative Sector in the Netherlands 

To ensure that the Netherlands' creative sector can enhance its resilience, Cultuur+Ondernemen recognises that entrepreneurial attitudes, knowledge, skills must be embraced whilst, ensuring appropriate financing. The "Investing in Entrepreneurship and Financing of the Cultural and Creative Sector in the Netherlands" programme aims to address these needs by establishing a comprehensive digital platform featuring advisory services, networking opportunities, and various development programmes whilst also offering loans. 

Serbia: Business Talks (Biznis priče)

Business Talks (Biznis priče), started bythe NGO Business Skills Development Center (NVO Centar za razvoj poslovnih veština) is a leading business podcast and educational platform in the Balkan region. The podcast has over 100 million views, encouraging the entrepreneurial mindset through delivering interviews, sharing knowledge and experiences, practical advice, and diving into real-world success stories. Hosting an annual Business Talks Conference also provides an ideal space for networking and learning, supplemented by online courses tailored to various business spheres. 

Turkey: Workup 

Workup was launched in 2017 by Türkiye İş Bankası. The Workup Entrepreneurship Programme aims to enhance the visibility of start-up, addressing diverse needs, and fostering collaboration to accelerate entrepreneurial ventures. Workup operates across different sectors, to support the development of businesses who have exited the ideas phase. So far, Workup has received over 15,000 applications and has supported nearly 200 start-ups, with the 12th cohort currently in progress. İş Bankası and its affiliates have collaborated with 55 startups, engaging in product purchases and proof-of-concept studies.

Ukraine: The New Economy of Ivano-Frankivsk (NEF) - Supporting emerging innovative economic activity clusters in Ivano-Frankivsk 

The New Economy of Ivano-Frankivsk (NEF) is a project aiming to drive economic transformation in a transition towards higher value economic activities. The end goal is to create more, better paying jobs. NEF established Ukraine’s first Product Development and Design Centre, providing advanced equipment and supporting high-value product creation. NEF has facilitated the development of 10 innovative products, provided 20 SMEs with innovation vouchers, and delivered consulting to over 560 SMEs and researchers. Despite the challenges of a war economy, NEF hosted the first European Research and Innovation Days, attracting 369 participants.

We wish all of the contestants the best of luck at the European stage of the competition. We are looking forward to the awards ceremony where we will find out the overall winner of the first category! 

Stay tuned to Promoting Enterprise's Futurium and social media channels (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X) for more updates on #EEPA2024.