The first pan-European awards programme to be granted to academic entrepreneurs was launched on 10 June 2008, in Fontainebleau, France by the Science | Business Innovation Board, a panel of leaders in industry, academia and policy. This is the first awards series focusing on university researchers, engineers, professors, students and government officials in Europe who have excelled in fostering a culture of enterprise on campus in 2008. The award will be granted based on a comparative assessment by the Science | Business Innovation Board and by representatives of the universities.

Nominations for prizes in 7 categories can be made online at www.sciencebusiness.net. The contest concludes on 2 December in Stockholm at Karolinska Institutet with a final assessment, a conference on academic enterprise and an awards ceremony. Winners will receive public acknowledgement for their achievement and will have a chance to liaise with corporate and individual investors.

For more information, visit the Science | Business website www.sciencebusiness.net.