Innovative and inspiring social and environmental entrepreneurs can win a tailor-made support package to help expand their business, as part of the 2013 SEED Awards, which opened last month.
The SEED Awards aim to develop the most promising social and environmental start-up enterprises in emerging economies, developing and least developed countries.
SEED Award winners receive expert advice on developing their business plans, take part in specially-designed workshops to enhance their skills, and benefit from high-level profiling of their enterprises through an international network of businesses,
governments and development institutions.
SEED are seeking entries from innovative start-up entrepreneurs who aim to generate environmental, social and economic benefits at the local level in a country with a developing or emerging economy.
This year SEED will make available up to:
Candidates can apply until, and no later than, 12 June 2013, 23:59 CET.
SEED Award Winners in the previous round of SEED Awards in 2011 included enterprises that transformed groundnut shells into fuel briquettes in The Gambia; developed solar ovens in Burkina Faso; trained and employed street youth to collect waste materials in Ghana, which they then transformed into handmade designer products;; and employed women to produce aloe-based skin care products in Kenya. The gender equality prize was won by a women's environment committee, supported by the local municipality, which organised waste collection and recycling in Nepal.
Details about these and other SEED Winners are at www.seedinit.org.
Source: SEED Awards
The Brussels based United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe - UNRIC provides information on UN activities to the countries of the region. It also provides liaison with institutions of the European Union in the field of information. Its outreach activities extend to all segments of society and joint campaigns, projects and events are organized with partners including the EU, governments, the media, NGOs, schools and local authorities.
United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe (UNRIC Brussels)
Residence Palace, Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 155, Block C2,7th and 8th floor, Brussels 1040, Belgium
Tel.: +32 2 788 8484 / Fax: 32 2 788 8485