STUDY VISITS
Edwin Darío Gómez Parra
Entrepreneurship and Knowledge Management Advisor, EDEM Project
Mario Eduardo Barreto Murillo
Entrepreneurship, Monitoring and follow-up Advisor, EDEM Project
Ángela María Londoño
Entrepreneurship Advisor, EDEM Project
Carlos Augusto Castaño Charry
Administrative and Financial Director and EDEM Project Coordinator
Denia Loo
Representative of the Entrepreneurship ecosystem in Honduras
Study visit to Spain and participation in the South Summit in Madrid to learn about Spanish and international experiences in planning and managing entrepreneurship and business development policies
Description of the visit:
The objective of the study visit for members of the EDEM team was to identify Spanish experiences in the planning and management of entrepreneurship and business development policies applied at a national level, mainly in two areas: Implementation of funding models for the creation of companies, and Promotion of Start-ups (high-growth companies focused on innovation). This visit allowed the EDEM Project team to validate a broader vision when identifying learning and good practices resulting from the project, as they now count with additional references to evaluate the validity and impact of the knowledge achieved.
Objectives:
- To identify national public policies in Spain for the strengthening of entrepreneurship and business development.
- To identify experiences and success stories in the financing of entrepreneurs and start-ups.
Institutions visited:
- General Secretariat for Industry and SMEs.
- Enisa (Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism) National Innovation Company Public funding for entrepreneurship.
- Madrid Chamber of Commerce.
- Madrid Science Park.
- Rey Juan Carlos University: Network of entrepreneurship incubators in the Autonomous Community of Madrid.
Attended events:
South Summit, on 2-4 October in Madrid: a world-class event that forms a global open innovation platform connecting start-ups, investors and corporations, focusing on business opportunities and disruptive trends.
Main products:
- Document reporting on learning and achievements of the mission to be shared with the project's partners.
- Network of contacts in innovation and development of entrepreneurship policies potentially of great interest to strengthen entrepreneurship ecosystems in the countries of Mesoamerica and Colombia.
- Making the EDEM project and its participating institutions (European Union, APC Colombia and other co-signatories) visible as a triangular cooperation initiative that strengthens regional competitiveness at the South Summit.
Assessments:
The exchange with Spanish institutions allowed to compare the project actions with the best and most innovative practices in entrepreneurship and to share the learning with the partners, which places EDEM at the forefront of triangular cooperation initiatives. Additionally, with its participation in the South Summit, one of the most important international meeting platforms was used to provide the EDEM project with visibility and to establish contacts with relevant actors in the field of entrepreneurship and innovation.
