Uusimaa awarded the European Entrepreneurial Region 2012 – Aalto University strongly involved
11.02.2010
The EU Committee of the Regions has labelled Helsinki-Uusimaa as the European Entrepreneurial Region (EER) 2012. The decision was made public Feb 11, 2010 at the Committee meeting in Brussels. Granted for the first time, the award attracted 36 regional nominees. The title was apportioned to three regions for the year 2011 and three for 2012. The EER award serves as recognition to those areas with the most credible plan of action promoting entrepreneurship with realistic foresight and outstanding political vision.
Helsinki-Uusimaa – European Entrepreneurial Region 2012 video
Uusimaa Regional Council prepared the application together with the Centre of Expertise Culminatum Innovation Ltd, Aalto University and the universities of applied sciences within the region. The award is also an esteemed recognition to Aalto University for the efforts to promote entrepreneurship and the role of SMEs.
- Supporting entrepreneurship and competence-driven new business forms an essential mission for Aalto societal impacts. New alignments and activities played a major role in the EER application, points out President Tuula Teeri.
- The EER recognition corroborates the strong commitment of various Uusimaa players to entrepreneurship also as a future success factor, Head of Small Business Centre Pentti Mustalampi from the Aalto University School of Economics reminds us.
Vice President Hannu Seristö emphasizes the comprehensive and high-quality expertise of Aalto University in entrepreneurship.
- Research is conducted on a wide front e.g. at the School of Economics in both entrepreneurship and the Small Business Centre. The department of Industrial Management at the School of Science and Technology is known for the extremely high quality of research is e.g. growth entrepreneurship and risk financing. In the education, degree programs form the core, which is further supplemented with lifelong education offered also internationally.
- An outstanding support to entrepreneurship is offered through University innovation services, the major operator of which is the Innovation Centre in Otaniemi. The services are complemented by incubator activities; Spinno Enterprise Center and Ruoholahti Start-Up Center together host more than a hundred promising small businesses.
- It is of utmost importance that Aalto University researchers and students are interested in and inspired by entrepreneurship. The student-led Aalto Entrepreneurship Society serves as an excellent example of passion and energy, reports Seristö. All these count when building the Aalto Centre for entrepreneurship (ACE).
For young growth companies the increasing global visibility helps establish partnerships and identify new financing opportunities.
- The EER year combined with the World Design Capital theme year will open up interesting prospects for new and growth companies, explains Sveta Planman, entrepreneur in innovative clothing design.
Markku Markkula from Aalto University headed the task force preparing the EER application.
- Uusimaa aims to act as a pioneer within the EU in new and innovative regional development and entrepreneurship. Together with the local operators, we are planning for 2012 a substantial amount of spearhead undertakings and events. These will help build up a new operating culture and implementation of a type of mega-endeavours. We will bring together Aalto University researchers, teachers and students, as Aalto has a key role in EER operations as the engine of new-creating entrepreneurship and innovativeness, concludes Markkula.
For more information:
Markku Markula
Advisor to the Aalto Presidents
puh. +358 50 4642455
www.cor.europa.eu
The Committee of the Regions (CoR) that granted the label is an EU assembly of 344 political representatives from regional and local communities. The European Union is obliged to consult CoR in all matters impacting local and regional administration, e.g. regional policy, environment, education and research, and economic, social and innovation activities.
