Partners

The UK Department for Business and Trade is the department for economic growth. DBT believes monitoring and evaluation will help achieve its vision: to drive economic growth, create and support jobs and back British businesses at home and abroad, and help to level up the country. They use monitoring and evaluation to support policy and operational delivery, inform our interventions and guide decisions on whether to continue, stop or amend our interventions.

The UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is driving innovation that will deliver improved public services, create new better-paid jobs and grow the economy. DSIT’s priorities include optimising public R&D investment, increasing levels of private R&D investment and promoting a diverse research and innovation system that connects discovery to new companies, growth and jobs.

ENISA, Spain’s funding agency for startups and SMEs, is a State-owned enterprise under the Spanish Ministry of Industry and Tourism. It primarily supports viable and innovative projects by Spanish entrepreneurs or SMEs, assisting in securing necessary funding for development and global market competition. ENISA’s focus is on fostering a culture of innovative entrepreneurship and actively engaging in the Spanish entrepreneurial ecosystem. In 2023, as part of the new Startup Law, ENISA has become the certifier of startups.

The CDTI Innovation is Spain’s public agency of the Ministry for Science, Innovation and Universities for the promotion of innovation and technological development by financing R&D&I business projects and supporting the creation and consolidation of technology-based enterprises (TBE) via venture capital and investment.

The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) helps entrepreneurs and organisations to invest, develop and expand their businesses and projects both in the Netherlands and abroad. As a government agency that carries out the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate policy, they help entrepreneurs, NGOs, knowledge institutes, policymakers and organisations improve collaborations and strengthen their position.

The Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG) is the national funding agency for industrial research and innovation in Austria. Their target groups are companies, research technology organisations (RTOs) and universities. FFG offers advice, support and funding for research and innovation projects and they play an important role in achieving aims, both research and political, defined by Austria and the European Union.

The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation’s regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA invests in communities and supports regional collaboration in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.

Innovate UK is the UK’s national innovation agency. They support business-led innovation in all sectors, technologies and UK regions. They help businesses grow through the development and commercialisation of new products, processes, and services, supported by an outstanding innovation ecosystem that is agile, inclusive, and easy to navigate. They help companies access expertise and equipment, build partnerships, and fund innovation work through grants or loans.

Scottish Enterprise, Scotland’s national economic agency, focuses on fostering business innovation and growth to transform the economy. It operates globally through Scottish Development International (SDI), with over 30 offices worldwide promoting Scotland as an investment and trade hub. In collaboration with the Scottish Government and regional enterprises, Scottish Enterprise supports businesses in accessing international innovation funds and connects with European policy and funding influencers.

The Argidius Foundation works to catalyse economic development in low- and middle-income countries, especially in Africa and Central America. Convinced of the potential that small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) hold for employment creation, income generation, and poverty reduction, their strategy focuses on building SMEs’ capacity and improving their access to finance to build profitable businesses and contribute to the sustainable development of their communities.

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a private, nonpartisan foundation that aims to foster economic independence by advancing educational achievement and entrepreneurial success. The Kauffman Foundation has been a funder of many different entrepreneurship and innovation programmes in the United States, but the evidence base for what is effective remains thin. Now, with the proliferation of such programmes, they have the opportunity to build a stronger base of such evidence.