In November 2021, ten million people celebrated Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) through 40,000 different events in over 180 countries around the world. With an international network of 20,000 partners, events during the annual GEW initiative are designed to stimulate, inspire and encourage entrepreneurial activities through different stakeholder groups. These events aim to promote originality, creativity and ingenuity through local and global activities. The Edward de Bono Institute has proudly been the official National Host for this event in Malta since its inception in 2008, and collaborates each year with various partner organisations to put together exciting programmes of activities to join this global celebration of entrepreneurship.
In view of the current health concerns and restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, almost all the events for GEW Malta 2021 were held virtually.
Monday 8 November, from 17:30 to 20:30: MBA Business Concept Pitching Event
This event offered Executive MBA final year students, who are enrolled in an entrepreneurship elective study unit at the University of Malta with an opportunity for peer-learning, discussion and expert insights at an early stage of their business concept, by pitching to a select panel of experts and practitioners involved in the field of entrepreneurship. Project deliverables of the elective programme require the students to engage in an extended feasibility study to assess the potential of their business ideas, as a prelude to potentially pursuing the concept and entrepreneurial opportunity further.
Tuesday 9 November, from 14:00 to 16:00: Valletta Design Cluster tour and DeuS presentation
The Covid-19 pandemic has been referred to as a "wake-up call", specifically for entrepreneurs to engage in more sustainable business activities and to endorse a more inclusive economy. These aims, while novel, are not new. In 2015, The United Nations proposed The Sustainable Development Goals, which reflected a direct call to action to eradicate poverty, protect the planet, and reach world peace and prosperity by 2030. Following the onset of the pandemic, it was evident that although actions were underway to create a more sustainable entrepreneurial landscape, increased efforts are required to promote sustainability, with statistics indicating that 120 million individuals are living in extreme poverty due to the negative impacts of the pandemic.
'Venturing Sustainably: Doing Well While Doing Good' was webinar which brings together entrepreneurs from Malta and overseas who advocate for sustainable entrepreneurship by integrating social and environmental concerns into their business activities. The aim was to explore the concept of sustainable entrepreneurship, and to shed light on how sustainability within business activities may be achieved.
This webinar kicked off with an introduction to the topic of sustainable entrepreneurship by The Edward de Bono Institute Director, Dr Leonie Baldacchino, and a presentation on Malta's sustainable entrepreneurship ecosystem by Dr Roberta Lepre, Founder and Managing Director of Weave Consulting, an organization aimed at assisting businesses adapt to the new normal by way of aligning to principles such as good governance, social responsibility, sustainability, etc.
This was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Dr Leonie Baldacchino. Panellists included Dr Nico De Klerk, Founder and CEO at StreetBiz Foundation and Director of the School of Social Innovation at Hugenote College (South Africa), Dr Roberta Lepre, Founder and Managing Consultant at Weave consulting and Project Director at SEAM, Ms Patrizia Patti, Founder at Eco Marine Malta and Assistant Treasurer at SEAM, Dr Viviana Premazzi, Founder of Global Mindset Development and Treasurer at SEAM, Ms Annalisa Schembri who is a freelance artistic director, creative producer and event manager, and Mr Michael Vogt, Founder and Managing Director at The Clean Beauty (Spain).
This webinar, which was an initiative of The Edward de Bono Institute in collaboration with SEAM (Social Entrepreneurs Association Malta), was held on Zoom (online) on Tuesday 9 November 2021, between 17.30 to 20.00 (GMT+1). It was primarily targeted towards entrepreneurship students at the University of Malta but it was open to the general public, free of charge.
Tuesday 9 and Wednesday 10 November, from 14:30 to 16:30: Developing Entrepreneurial Intuition Training Programme
The mind relies on two parallel systems of information processing, one analytical and the other intuitive. Analytical thinking can be particularly reliable in structured or routine tasks. In complex judgmental situations however, an over-reliance on analysis can blind us to new opportunities or creative associations. Intuition can draw informed judgments rapidly, even from small cues of information, particularly when addressing unstructured tasks in areas of domain expertise. As a result, the role of intuitive processing is being increasingly discussed in enterprise and business management.
‘Intuition in Management and Entrepreneurship’ was a two-hour session that introduced participants to intuition together with how it can be effectively employed in a business environment. Participants were guided on how to recognise intuition, enable it, and blend its use with rational analysis. The session was held twice at MCAST Institute of Business Management and Commerce, on the 9th and 10th of November, between 14.30 and 16.30, and wa facilitated by Mr. Keith Coleiro a Master in Creativity and Innovation graduate student from the Edward de Bono Institute, University of Malta.
Thursday 11 November, from 09.00 to 10.00: Guest lecture by international lateral thinking guru Paul Sloane
On Thursday 11 November at 09:00 CET, the Edward de Bono Institute hosted an online guest lecture with international lateral thinking guru Paul Sloane, who has authored 30 books on lateral puzzles and creative leadership, of which over 2 million copies have been sold worldwide. Paul Sloane's thought-provoking lecture focused on lateral thinking. This event was reserved for students and staff at the University of Malta.
Friday 12 November, from 09:30 to 13:30: Postgraduate Research Seminar
The Edward de Bono Institute hosted its seventh Postgraduate Research Seminar on 12 November 2021 as part of GEW 2021. The aim of this half-day seminar was to inform students about research opportunities and to provide a space for scholarly debate with peers and academic staff.
The first part of the seminar, from 09:30 to 11:00, included an overview of the Master in Creativity and Innovation dissertation requirements, presentations by the Institute's academic staff on their research interests, and a presentation on the funded mobility opportunities available to students through the Erasmus+ programme.
The rest of the seminar, from 11:00 to 13:30, featured presentations by postgraduate students on their recently completed dissertations or ongoing research.
This seminar was held on Zoom (online) on Friday 12 November 2021 between 09:30 and 13:30 (GMT+1), and was reserved for students and staff at the University of Malta.