#brnoregion receives the European Entrepreneurial Region Award

The South Moravian Region and the City of Brno have put themselves on the map of innovative regions in Europe with its strategic goal of being home to globally successful entrepreneurs, resulting from the successes of the Regional Innovation Strategy to date and its ambition for further development. This means supporting everything from the broadest student entrepreneurship, to increasing the number of dynamic start-ups and companies targeting international markets, to sustainable prosperity.
 

"The regional innovation strategy is based on the mutual trust of the local innovation community. We work closely with companies, research organizations, and NGOs, and together we are building our region into a home for globally successful entrepreneurs. In doing so, we can rely on strong sectors such as electron microscopy or IT, especially game development or cybersecurity. Successful business research and development expands opportunities for cooperation, attracts talent and strengthens the entire region," says Jan Grolich, Governor of the South Moravian Region.
 

The projects, as well as the current awards, reflect the goals and outcomes of the long-term Regional Innovation Strategy.
 

"We are honoured that the European Committee of the Regions has recognised our long-term efforts in building an entrepreneurial region. The City of Brno, together with the South Moravian Region, has been systematically supporting projects to promote innovation, research and technology transfer for more than 20 years. Thanks to this, our region can now rank among one of the fastest growing innovation ecosystems in Europe in terms of growth of investment in technology companies," says Anna Putnova, Brno City Councillor for Innovation and Cooperation with Research Organisations.
    

Twenty years of efforts to develop the region are closely related to the activities of the JIC innovation agency, which fosters entrepreneurship among students, helps start-ups grow and collaborates with the most successful companies in the region. JIC plays a different role in all of the goals and projects evaluated as part of the EER 2024 award, including being part of the local innovation community. "We want strong and globally successful companies to grow in the South Moravia Region. They make the region economically stable, increase its prestige abroad and create new jobs for qualified people. I believe that such companies can help people all over the world to face global challenges and, at the same time, strengthen the role of Europe on the international stage. The award goes to all the people who are involved in this process - whether they are business owners and employees, representatives of public administration, researchers or scientists," adds JIC director Petr Chladek.
 

The South Moravian Region and the City of Brno, along with other award-winning regions, have a mandate to fulfil their approach under the European Entrepreneurial Region title by the end of 2024.