The Vice-President of the Government encouraged today Azorean entrepreneurs to "believe in their business plans and maintain the aim of turning them into reality."

"Each of us has to be the first to try building our own way," said Sérgio Ávila at the Entrepreneur Gala.

The ceremony which he presided over was the culmination of the Regional Entrepreneurship Competition 2014, whose success was highlighted by Sérgio Ávila. In this context, the government official expressed his satisfaction with the fact that the three winning projects concern the creation of companies.

The Vice-President of the Government secured the Government's support to the entrepreneurs who wish to implement their business projects, stressing that "being an entrepreneur is a quality that contributes to the well-being of the whole society as a result of the opportunities that go unnoticed to many and despite the difficulties that often appear to be insurmountable."

"The fact that we are an archipelago and an outermost region, which raises additional constraints, requires a determined and courageous action of entrepreneurs who implement their projects to create companies and generate wealth," said the government official.   

Sérgio Ávila recalled that "there are ongoing important projects for the construction of an entrepreneurial ecosystem"; it is expected to contribute to the emergence of "new companies that will generate added value based on the application of knowledge and innovation."

"We believe that one can talk about of a new economy, where opportunities for our young people will be available and they will know how to take advantage of this new context of creativity, innovation, wealth generation and employment creation," said the Vice-President.

The set of measures to support economic activity developed by the Government of the Azores was mentioned by Sérgio Ávila to reveal the "particular relevance" of Competir+; the latter "embodies the most generous, intense and comprehensive incentive scheme for private investment in force in Portugal."

As for the subsystems of Competir+, the Vice-President highlighted the Incentive Scheme for Qualified and Creative Entrepreneurship, which aims to stimulate the creation of companies by young entrepreneurs who contribute to the diversification and regeneration of the business fabric.

In his speech, Sérgio Ávila also recognised the importance of the Azores Brand, stressing that "any effort to value what is ours is never excessive and unnecessary."
 
The structuring of networks of business incubators was also mentioned by the Vice-President of the Government, who highlighted its roles in the "creation of a locally based entrepreneurial ecosystem, generating new dynamics and revitalising the region's business fabric."

"These are, and among others, the measures the Government of the Azores is developing allow us to demonstrate that we are building in the Azores a true ecosystem favourable to business activity and entrepreneurship," said Sérgio Ávila.