Entrepreneurs with ambitious business plans are encouraged to enter a competition to win a trip to the world famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Boston, USA.
Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and UHI Millennium Institute (UHI) are offering a unique opportunity to help businesses reach their full potential. The programme is targeting aspiring entrepreneurs, business-minded technologists, corporate venture officials and university and regional development leaders.
The competition which was launched at Fusion's annual two-day conference is open to entrepreneurs of any age from the Highlands and Islands. Over the next few months they will battle it out for one of three free places at MIT's Entrepreneurship Development Programme where they can use the help and inspiration of world-class innovators.
The programme covers the entire venture creation process from idea generation to building viable businesses, with special emphasis on the nurturing roles of corporations, universities, governments, and foundations. Using MIT's entrepreneurial culture as a model, participants learn what they need to know to make high-tech start-ups successful.
The competition seeks out the best new business ideas, as judged by a panel of entrepreneurial practitioners and academics. Entrants have until 30 November to enter their business plan and need to be available between January 29 and February 2 2007 and willing to share their experience with other aspiring Highland entrepreneurs at a workshop next summer.
Calum Davidson, head of HIE's Knowledge Economy said: "One of our key ambitions in the Highlands and Islands is to build on our research base so that we can grow more technology based companies. For the winners, the trip to Boston will connect local businesses to some of the most innovative business thinking, and ambitious entrepreneurs in the world - bringing significant benefits to the area."
Dr Kerry Godfrey, UHI dean of business and leisure, said: "This is a really exciting opportunity to support entrepreneurial development in the region. The link with MIT represents a starting point for UHI in building our own programmes to encourage enterprise and innovation in the Highlands and Islands."
For more information and to enter the competition, go to www.hie.co.uk/boston-benefits-business and explain in no more than 200 words how the programme would help to achieve your business plan.