EYE Innovator Award 2024

The Innovator Award is there to recognize outstanding stories and innovations stemming from the EYE programme!

Objectives

• Facilitating business exchanges between new and experienced entrepreneurs;
• Up to six months on-the-job-training enabling a successful business start-up;
• Exchanging experience and knowledge about obstacles and challenges when starting and developing businesses;
• Enhancing market access and identifying potential partners for new and established businesses in other European countries;
• Networking by building on knowledge and experience from other European countries.

What’s in it for me?

• Shortlisted finalists (2 new entrepreneurs and 2 host entrepreneurs) will be invited to Kaunas, Lithuania for the final pitch on 10 April 2024.
• Winners selected by the EYE Intermediary Organisations will receive a trip to the SME Assembly 2024 – the biggest event in Europe for small and medium-sized enterprises. The event provides vast networking opportunities, features high-level speakers and holds numerous workshops.
• Finalists’ stories will be featured on the EYE website and social media platforms.

Benefits

• Potential benefits for new entrepreneurs include the opportunity to:
  • Stay up to six months with a successful and experienced entrepreneur in another European country to gain relevant business start-up knowledge in a wide range of areas such as marketing, financial accounting, customer relations, business finance;
  • Improve the entrepreneurial experience and chances of success during the business start-up phase;
  • Refine business ideas/plan;
  • Become members of an international European business network of successful entrepreneurs;
  • Gain knowledge about foreign markets and understand the regulatory framework in another European Union country;
  • Collaborate and develop cross-border business co-operation;
  • Gain insights into different cultural and organisational settings and understand how companies function in the European Union;
  • Improve language skills;
  • Find out about European commercial law and the single European market, European standardisation and European support for SMEs;
  • Receive practical and financial assistance such as induction courses before the exchange, logistical and local support during the stay, and a grant covering the travel and subsistence costs during the stay abroad.
• Potential benefits for host entrepreneurs include the opportunity to:
  • Work with an energetic and motivated new entrepreneur who will contribute with innovative views, new skills and knowledge to the host entrepreneur’s business;
  • Learn about foreign markets, expand business opportunities and engage in cross-border activities;
  • Interact with businessmen and women from other European countries and become part of a dynamic European business network of successful entrepreneurs;
  • Improve the growth potential of the company by establishing a business partnership with a new entrepreneur from another European country;
  • Benefit from the assistance of professional intermediary organisations, which help you to search for a suitable business partner for the exchange;
  • Option to use of the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs labels and certificate attesting your participation in the programme;
  • Increase the visibility and prestige of your business (e.g. via interviews with the media);

What they Seek?

• Innovation in its broadest sense — ranging from the exploration of new practices, tools, and methods to the successful creation and implementation of new products, services, or processes. They’re looking for entrepreneurs whose EYE experiences have led to tangible technical or process innovations across various fields.

Eligibility Criteria

• Eligible entrepreneurs are those in the early stages of their business start-up (new entrepreneurs) and experienced owners or managers of a micro or small enterprise (host entrepreneurs).
• The programme is accessible to all European new and host entrepreneurs who have their permanent residence in one of the participating countries.
• Entrepreneurs from the EU outermost regions and the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) are also eligible to participate.
• To participate in an exchange in one of the destinations outside of Europe (i.e. USA, Canada, Israel, Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea), new entrepreneurs must be citizens and residents of an EU Member State. Participation from new entrepreneurs with a different citizenship is for the moment not possible.

For more information, visit EYE.