Applications are open until 31 October 2023

⇒ Who can apply? The competition is open to all graduates of the University of Lleida who are members of Alumni UdL.

⇒ Official competition guidelines/rules: catalan

1. STATEMENT

One of the core missions of Alumni UdL – Association of Alumni and Friends of the University of Lleida is to promote and foster UdL degree holders’ employment, entrepreneurship, and incorporation into professions related to their respective degrees and scientific research.

In order to help develop the professional careers of UdL alumni who provide – as a result of the knowledge gained at the UdL and in the world of work – innovative solutions to the climate, economic, cultural and social challenges of the 21st century, Alumni UdL – with support from the UdL and Banco Santander – is issuing the call for the Santander-Alumni UdL Prize for Entrepreneurship and Employment within the framework of the Santander Employability Programme for UdL degree holders.

This second edition of the Prize aims to incentivise and recognise UdL alumni who have come up with innovative ideas and implemented improvement processes in a business so that the general challenges posed by accelerated changes in a highly competitive global market can be met and its continuity ensured.

This Prize expresses Alumni UdL’s commitment to strengthening ties between alumni and the UdL, and to promoting the UdL’s studies and research.

2. OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the Santander-Alumni UdL Prize for Entrepreneurship and Employment are:

To foster UdL degree holders’ creativity and entrepreneurial spirit.
To encourage innovation and inter- and cross-disciplinarity.
To favour the creation of businesses and skilled jobs.
To foster corporate social responsibility and the presence of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in business ideas and projects.
To promote an entrepreneurial ecosystem, made up by UdL degree holders, for employment creation, knowledge generation and social responsibility. Research and innovation must together be a basic pillar of any business, spin-off or start-up.
To contribute to the growth and consolidation of businesses created by UdL degree holders.
To return the knowledge that degree holders have gained during their training and professional careers to the UdL.
To strengthen ties between the UdL and businesses.

As per the European Union Horizon Europe programme for 2021-2027, the specific objectives of the Second Santander-Alumni UdL Prize for Entrepreneurship and Employment are:

To boost the energy transition through clean energy use and energy savings.
To boost the bioeconomy, the circular economy and biodiversity protection.
To boost the implementation of digital technologies and raise awareness of the importance of cybersecurity tools for protecting businesses and citizens’ rights.
To improve and protect people’s health and well-being through knowledge and the development of innovative solutions.
To safeguard cultural heritage and promote creativity and socioeconomic transformations that contribute to inclusion and growth.

3. CATEGORIES

There are two categories:

IDEA: To give support to the best business innovation ideas (graduates, company or self-employed professional) in order to ensure that such ideas can be implemented in a short period of time. The Prize will be given to the best project for implementing strategic changes in any area of the business (organisational, functional, product-related, etc.) that help it progress towards the call’s specific sustainable development objectives.

FET: To give support to implemented and evaluable business projects. The Prize will be given to the company or self-employed professional that has implemented the best strategic changes in any area (organisational, functional, product-related, etc.) that help the business progress towards the call’s specific sustainable development objectives.

4. APPLICATIONS FOR THE IDEA AND ACT CATEGORIES

Applications may be submitted by graduates, self-employed professionals and for-profit and/or social companies that have already been set up or can provide evidence of their activities starting before 1 January 2023.
Self-employed professionals must be in possession of a UdL official bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or doctoral degree.
For companies, 25% of the capital must be represented by holders of a UdL bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or doctoral degree.
All UdL degree holders must be active members of Alumni UdL on the last day of application submission.
Applications containing proposals identical to those submitted for the IDEA category in previous editions of the Prize will be excluded.

5. JURY

The jury charged with assessing the submitted applications and proposing the Prize winners is formed by:

The president of Alumni UdL or a person nominated by him/her to act as president.
A person representing the UdL Board of Trustees.
A person representing Banco Santander.
A person representing the UdL Chair of Entrepreneurship.
A person representing the Lleida Agrifood Science and Technology Park.

The technical secretary of Alumni UdL will serve as the Jury secretary.

6. PRIZES

The Jury will grant two Prizes, one for each category.

The Prize comprises a financial prize for the winning application in each category.

The Prize amount will be subject to deductions as established by law and any other fiscal legislation in force at the time of payment.

IDEA Prize

The winning application will receive €1,500 when the Prize is given, and a further €2,500 within a period of six months, once the commitments stipulated by the Jury have been met.