The European Commission announced the winner of the Enterprise Promotion Awards 2012. According to the Commission, the UK organisation Outset has been awarded for creating a unique approach to supporting start-ups by helping society’s most vulnerable groups to find work through self-employment and enterprise. Cyprus, Sweden, Italy, Portugal and Turkey also received prizes for driving enterprise with new and innovative local solutions.

The UK organisation Outset was awarded with the Grand Jury’s Prize of the 6th European Enterprise Promotion Awards. The European Commission highlighted that Outset was awarded for promoting and raising desire for enterprise among hard-to-reach groups. Outset seeks to change beliefs about the ability of members of the most vulnerable societal groups to start a small business. Since the start of the programme, Outset has engaged with over 6,000 people. Of those, 673 have started a business, together creating 890 jobs.

The European Enterprise Promotion Awards 2012 that are jointly organised by the European Commission, the Cypriot EU Presidency and the Committee of the Regions, were also granted to Cyprus, Sweden, Italy, Portugal and Turkey for promoting the Entrepreneurial Spirit, investing in Skills, Supporting the Internationalisation of Business, and for Responsible and Inclusive Entrepreneurship. Moreover, the jury also gave special mentions to three innovative projects to the Netherlands, Estonia and Lithuania.

402 projects competed in this year’s national competitions for a chance to enter the awards, while 57 national winners were subsequently entered in the European level of competition. Competing countries included all 27 EU Member States, one acceding country, Croatia, as well as 2 associate countries in the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP): Serbia and Turkey.