Nominees for the Erasmus Innovation Award announced
Rotterdam, 7 September 2009 --- The names of the five companies nominated for the
Erasmus Innovation Award have been made public. Their selection has taken place on the basis of an annual survey involving 10,000 Dutch companies: the Erasmus Competition and Innovation Monitor. Each of the nominees is at the forefront of innovation, modernisation, entrepreneurship and has achieved strong commercial success.
Particularly under the present-day economic conditions, companies need to focus on innovation and overhaul their operations. The Erasmus Competition and Innovation Monitor 2009 shows that those companies that are now investing in renewal and are taking the lead in innovation are doing better in economic tough times. These companies’ innovative character and ability to respond swiftly to chancing circumstances allow them to chance course at short notice and cope better with the economic downturn. “The nominees demonstrate that visionary leadership, collective ambition and the urge to be at the cutting edge of developments pave the way for continuing successful innovation,” say the researchers Prof.dr. Henk Volberda, Prof.dr. Frans van den Bosch and Dr. Justin Jansen of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University. Each year, the research team probes the innovative strength of the Dutch economy and pinpoints why various companies active in a wide range of economic sectors are meeting with success or failure.
The companies nominated for the Erasmus Innovation Award 2009 are:
Advanced Valve Solutions in Heerhugowaard
Advance Valve Solutions is an engineering company and supplier of high-grade shut-off valves, control valves and associated equipment for the process industry.
Axis Media in Enschede
Axis is a creative communication design agency developing communication strategies and campaigns. Enkev in Volendam. Enkev turns natural fibres (coconut shells, wool, animal hair, cotton, sisal, jute, corn and pure natural latex) into quality products – in order to produce filling and covering materials for the mattress and furniture industry.
Incotec in Enkhuizen
Incotec is the world-wide leader in adding value to seed and other starter materials by means of various seed and coating technology methods. Incotec is active in the vegetables, flowers, tobacco and large field crop markets
Movares in Utrecht
Movares is an engineering consultancy providing solutions to capacity, safety, and integration problems in the areas of mobility, infrastructure and transportation systems. The judging panel – consisting of Dr. Alexander Rinnooy Kan (Chairman of the Social and Economic Council of the Netherlands); Mr. Bernard Wientjes (Chairman of the Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers); Drs. Chris Buijink (Secretary-General of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs) and Drs. Loek Hermans (Chairman of the Dutch SME Federation) – will pick the winner.
On Tuesday 6 October 2009, the winner of the Erasmus Innovation Award 2009 will be announced at the Destination: Innovation event to be held by the Netherlands Centre for Social Innovation at Pakhuis de Zwijger in Amsterdam.
For more information about the monitor:
www.erasmusinnovatiemonitor.nl For more information about the Destination: Innovation event:
www.ncsi.nl/destinationinnovation/
The Netherlands Centre for Social Innovation (NCSI) promotes and initiates innovation in the areas of management, organization and labour in companies, organisations and government. Beyond that, the NCSI is an active knowledge centre that produces, collects and disseminates knowledge of social innovation and that provides support to initiatives in social innovation. (
www.ncsi.nl) More English-language information:
www.ncsi.nl/English/. Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University is a top-ranked international business school renowned for its ground-breaking research in sustainable business practice and for the development of leaders in global business.
Offering an array of bachelor, master, doctoral, MBA and executive education programmes, RSM is consistently ranked amongst the top 10 business schools in Europe.
For more information on RSM or on this release, please contact Marianne Schouten, Media & Public Relations Manager for RSM, on +31 10 408 2877 or by email at mschouten@rsm.nl.
