The Banc de Sang i Teixits - a winner in the Business Competitiveness Awards 2009 in the New Business Initiative category.

What are the Business Competitiveness Awards?

The Business Competitiveness Awards aim to publicly recognise and encourage Catalan individuals, businesses, organisations and public bodies that have worked hard to strengthen their competitive position by means of innovation, internationalisation and cooperation.

Objectives of the Awards:

• Promote integrated and sustainable management of companies and organisations with a global and strategic vision.
• Promote business competitiveness and so contribute to the dynamism of the Catalan economy
• Element of prestige and recognition

Who organises the Awards?

The Awards are organised by Acc1Ó, the competitiveness support agency for Catalan businesses that is part of the Department of Innovation, Universities and Enterprise of the Government of Catalonia, created following the merger between: CIDEM and COPCA. Acc1Ó specialises in promoting business innovation and internationalisation

ACC1Ó was set up to improve strategic support and encourage competitiveness of Catalan businesses in the context of new global challenges.

The Awards are made in the framework of interACC1Ó, a meeting point that aims to inform Catalan businesses about the latest trends in innovation and internationalisation and to provide information about opportunities in international markets and about technological solutions for innovative projects.

Award categories:

a) For Business Excellence.
To the company and/or organisation or public body that has achieved excellence in its overall management.

b) For Business Cooperation.
To companies and/or organisations or public bodies that have excelled in the way they have confronted the challenges in their environment by means of cooperation and working together.

c) For Business Leadership.
To the company and/or organisation or public body that has excelled in their leadership of an impactful business project in its region or the area in which it operates.

d) For the Best New Business Initiative.
To the company and/or organisation or public body that has excelled in having recently introduced a successful business strategy.

e) For projecting Catalonia to the world.
To the individual, organisation or public body that has made an exceptional contribution to promoting Catalonia to the rest of the world.

Candidate assessment criteria:

• An ability to be innovative in a competitive, global environment.
• The management of internal and external resources and the projection of a sustainable and responsible future for the company.
• Investigation, opening up and presence in international markets.
• Relevant financial results.
• Creativity and innovation with regard to processes and products.
• Innovation and improvements in internal organisation.
• Relationships with clients.
• Relationship between new initiatives and improvement measures in line with the organisation's strategy.
• Sustainable management of people, technology, materials, alliances, information, knowledge and talent.
• Any other qualitative or quantitative aspect that is considered relevant.

Further information at: http://www.acc10.cat/ACC1O/cat/