The “Brandiko” project of Bulgaria’s Ministry of Economy and Energy has won a prize in the category “Investing in entrepreneurial skills” at the 8th annual edition of the European Enterprise Promotion Awards.

The awards ceremony took place on October 2 in Naples, Italy, during the European SME Week.

The Bulgarian project “Brandiko” envisages training high school students to create a brand and register the brand as a Community trademark.

The students establish training companies and receive instructions on building and managing their own brand, marketing the brand and using it to boost sales.

They also learn about the importance of intellectual property protection.

Over 1700 students have completed the “Brandiko” program.

The Grand Jury Prize went to a Hungarian project aimed at encouraging business start-ups by mothers with young children who are unable to return to their job at the end of their maternity leave.

The European Commission announced the seven winners, the 12 runners up and the three special mentionsfor the European Enterprise Promotion Awards on October 2.

Organisations from all 28 EU Member States as well as Iceland, Serbia and Turkey, competed for the chance to win either a specific category or the prestigious Grand Jury Prize, according to the EC press office.