Minister Daz-Granados announces

$3.805 billion to support initiatives

Bogota, DC, July 30, 2012. - The Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Tourism has opened
a new opportunity which is a unique instrument in the history of the country. It aims
at supporting projects of high impact entrepreneurship.

On the initiative of the Directorate of MSMEs and Innpulsa EDI

This program seeks to foster high-impact ventures that generate skilled jobs.

Bogota, DC, July 30, 2012. - The Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Tourism has opened a
new opportunity which is a unique instrument in the history of the country. It aims at
supporting projects of high impact entrepreneurship.
The announcement was made by the Minister of this portfolio, Sergio Diaz-Granados,
who explained that both the resources and the conceptualization for this initiative
came from the innovation teams of the Directorate of MSMEs and the Innovation
and Development Unit, Innpulsa EDI.
Overall, the EDI 04 call for the co-financing of institutional projects that strengthen
the capacity to identify, accelerate, and support dynamic and Innovative
Entrepreneurship (EDI, for its acronym in Spanish) throughout the country, has a total
budget of $3.805 billion. As such, each proposal that is selected will receive up to
$500 million pesos.
For the delivery of these resources, participating institutions must pass two tests: one
consists of eligibility, compliance, and documentation requirements, while the other
consists of feasibility, where bidders must submit their proposal before a panel of
experts. This is an open contest, so proposals may be made until the available
resources are exhausted.
As for the terms of this contest, the interested institutions should be linked to the
Regional Entrepreneurship Network or the National System of Science, Technology,
and Innovation.
This latter group includes private research centers, institutions of higher education,
technology development centers, technology parks, productivity centers, institutions
for the social appropriation of science, technology, and innovation, institutions of
management, administration, and promotion of knowledge, incubators, technology
companies, academies and scientific societies, technology and innovation, and the
various networks of organizations and initiatives that are aimed at strengthening the
National System of Science, Technology, and Innovation.
"Our goal is to strengthen institutions promoting dynamic ventures, so that they can
better respond to the needs of these projects, as well as attract greater investment
for them," Minister Diaz-Granados explained.
Finally, the Minister stressed that this is the first time the Government has made such
resources available to strengthen the dynamic ecosystem of entrepreneurship in the
country, along with strategies and specific instruments for the field. He added that
interested parties can get more information about this contest from the Innovation
and Development Unit, Innpulsa Colombia", at the following address:
http://www.innpulsacolombia.com/?lang=es&opc=3&sel=2&id=9
(CHE) Edicin: Lucy Samper
OFICINA DE COMUNICACIONES