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EU-funded Luminus ShamalStart launches its second phase

26.06.2019
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Under the Patronage of HRH Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan, President of the Royal Scientific Society (RSS), Luminus ShamalStart - the leading business accelerator and seed investor in the north of Jordan – announced the beginning of its second phase, underscoring its mission to empower makers, innovators and entrepreneurs across the Kingdom.

RSS, through iPark, is a partner in Luminus ShamalStart and manages the incubation aspect of the project. The official launch ceremony, at which HRH Princess Sumaya delivered the keynote address, was attended by HE Johannes Hahn, EU Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, and several ministers, investors, and heads of associations and local incubators and accelerators.

“Shamal Start has enriched the economic lifeblood of Irbid, Mafraq and beyond through the creation of potential-laden, innovative start-ups, and by enabling the expertly managed growth of existing SMEs,” said HRH Princess Sumaya.

“Crucially, we have looked beyond mere job creation, and sought to enable true wealth creation, through innovative enablement. We have all helped to build careers that are worthy of the talents of our people, and Phase 2 will build on that initial, well-placed confidence in the innovators who made this work.”

Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn, added: “Jordan has a precious potential: energetic youth and highly educated citizens. Small and medium-sized enterprises are the backbone of the country’s economy. This is why the EU is stepping up its support to innovative start-ups and SMEs to develop to their fullest potential, creating much needed jobs in the region, while increasing competitiveness and enhancing entrepreneurship.“

Since its inception in 2016, EU-funded Luminus ShamalStart has received 3,500+ business ideas, trained 250+ teams, extended 20,000+ manufacturing hours through FabLab Irbid, incubated 100+ entrepreneurial projects, granted JOD 1.4 million in seed funding and generated 300+ job opportunities.

Category
Joint Press Releases
Location

Bruxelles

Topics
European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP)
EU Enlargement & Neighbourhood
European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP)
Editorial sections
Middle East & North Africa (MENA)
Jordan