It’s Global Entrepreneurship Week

In case you hadn’t noticed – it’s Global Entrepreneurship Week. So, put on your party hats and celebrate! If you’re in Austria, however, you might want to tone it down a little: on the last Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) survey that included Austrian data in 2007, the country ranked last out of 42 contestants. Ever since then, the GEM Austria team at the FH Joanneum GmbH – University of Applied Sciences had been on a hiatus due to a lack of funding. The Austrian Ministry of Economy decided it was not worth investing in a survey that would make them look bad at the end of the day, it seems.

However, as GEM Austria team leader Thomas Schmalzer confirmed to inventures.eu, Austria is giving it another shot this year. The GEM Austria team are currently collecting data on local entrepreneurial activities and will publish their results as part of the 2012 GME executive report on 62 countries in January 2013 as well as a more detailed country report to follow in April next year. This time funding comes from the Austrian Economic Chamber, who seem to possess more courage to fail – or possiblynot. We’re keeping our fingers crossed.