In November 2024, ten million people celebrate 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.

Wednesday 6th November, 17.00-19/20.00 (online)

The aim of this online session was to provide information on the funding opportunities, facilities and support measures that are available for entrepreneurs in Malta. It was held on Wednesday 6th November 2024 from 17.00 to 19.30, and featured presentations by various speakers representing key players in the local entrepreneurship ecosystem, including Malta Enterprise, Xjenza Malta, Trade Malta, The Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry, and the Foundation for the Promotion of Entrepreneurial Initiatives. This session was targeted primarily towards entrepreneurship students at the University of Malta but was of interest to anyone who would like to start up a business in Malta. It was therefore also open to the general public, free of charge. 

Friday 8th November, 16.00-19.00 and Saturday 9th November, 09.00-14.00 (in person at The Edward de Bono Institute)

This workshop offered creatives and entrepreneurs an opportunity to engage with innovative methods that have been developed over the past year during the HYBRIDA (short for 'hybrid value-based interdisciplinary design approach for data-intensive software systems') project. 

HYBRIDA aimed to develop methods and tools to support interdisciplinary collaboration in teams to foster creativity and communication, resulting in products and services focused on user needs and values. The methods guide workshop participants through the stages of problem definition and idea generation, based on a unique framework that focuses on values early in the process and uses tangible elements.

Participants  benefited from learning new approaches to problem-solving and idea generation. They were also be sensitised to prioritise user needs and values when developing products or services that include, for example, AI components. 

Participation was free of charge but places are very limited.

Tuesday 12th November, 13.00-15.00 (in person)

This interactive workshop equipped participants with key skills to unlock their creativity and generate business ideas. They  practiced shifting their perspective to view problems as potential opportunities, and apply a creative thinking technique to inspire innovation. This session was reserved for Master in Entrepreneurship students at the University of Malta. 

Wednesday 13th November, 17.00-19.00 (online)

The Edward de Bono Institute at The University of Malta hosted an online symposium on entrepreneurship on behalf of the International Society for the Study of Creativity and Innovation (ISSCI), as part of GEW 2024. The symposium was chaired by Prof. Leonie Baldacchino and featured three presentations, as follows:

Integrating philosophy and psychology to enhance creativity and innovation in entrepreneurship: the W.O.M.B. model

by Eduardo Manuel de Almeida Leite, School of Technology and Management at the University of Madeira, Portugal

Motivations and Intentions underlying Decisions to Pursue Senior Entrepreneurship

by Sandro Sant'Anna, The Edward de Bono Institute for Creative Thinking and Innovation, University of Malta, Malta

Resilience, Decision Making and Sustainability in Entrepreneurship

Erica Santini, Department of Economics and Management, and School of Innovation, University of Trento, Italy
 

This symposium was reserved for ISSCI members and guests. 

Friday 15th November, 10.00-12.00 (online)

A new online entrepreneurship training programme for people with disabilities who wish to start their own business or be self-employed has recently been launched in Malta. 

The programme began with a two-hour pre-course workshop on business idea generation, hosted by The Edward de Bono Institute at the University of Malta, on 15 November 2024, to help spark creativity and guide participants toward potential ventures. The course will then run from February to April 2025, with live sessions held online via Zoom every Friday morning between 10am and 12pm.

The course is being delivered by the Foundation for the Promotion of Entrepreneurial Initiatives (FPEI) in collaboration with Technological University Dublin and Edward de Bono Institute for Creative Thinking and Innovation at the University of Malta. Malta Enterprise is supporting the initiative, so it is free of charge for all participants.

Tuesday, 19th November, 18:00 - 20:00

The European Association for Endoscopic Surgery (EAES) invited GEW Malta Host Prof. Leonie Baldacchino to deliver a presentation on 'Innovation as a Science' during a webinar  on 'Innovation in Surgery', held as part of the Association's 'Rising Stars Academy'. Prof Baldacchino spoke about the general principles of innovation and entrepreneurial mindsets and discussed how these are relevant and applicable in the field of medicine and surgery. 

Wednesday 20th November, 17:30-20:30hrs

This event, which has become an annual feature of the GEW Malta programme, offered International MBA final year students enrolled in an entrepreneurship elective study unit at the University of Malta 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 shall 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. 

This event was organised by Dr Nathaniel Massa, Senior Lecturer at the University of Malta' Department of Management, in collaboration with The Edward de Bono Institute, and was reserved for the University of Malta's International MBA students.