Finalist

Female Entrepreneurial Leader of the Year Award

Maria Saiz-Santos

Finalist of the Female Entrepreneurial Leader of the Year Award

University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU - Spain

"ENTREPRENEURIAL ACTIVISIM"


Engage on social media

@MariaSaizS
(María Saiz‐Santos)
@eeb_ove
(BASQUE ENTREPRENEURSHIP OBSERVATORY)
@masterMBAe3
(MBAe3, MBA IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP)
@upvehu
(UNIVERSITY OF THE BASQUE COUNTRY UPV/EHU)
@GEM_es
(GEM ESPAÑA)
@ehu_enpresainst
(ENPRESA INSTITUTUA)
https://www.linkedin.com/company/42688026
(Basque Entrepreneurship Observatory)
https://www.linkedin.com/school/upv_ehu/
(University of the Basque Country)
@mariasaizsantos
(María Saiz)
@mastermbae3
(MBAe3. Entrepreneurship MBA)
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWLb7ZzunsjZRojcFXFsecA
(MBAe3. Entrepreneurship MBA)
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuuic0spNLHf14vOUrsOzSw
(Basque Entrepreneurship Observatory)
https://www.facebook.com/eebove/
(Basque Entrepreneurship Observatory)

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Summary

I am ENTREPRENEURIAL ACTIVISIM.
My vocation for entrepreneurship has a very clear orientation: THE INNOVATIVE ENTREPRENEUR IS ALWAYS IN THE CENTER OF THE MODEL.
Key entrepreneurial competencies:
1‐Transformational leadership: Tech to market transfer
2‐ Energy and vehemence
3‐Rigorous: tenacity and courageous
4‐Capacity to create bonds and communicate
5‐Commitment/Activism: I believe in what I do

I represent the full drive for an entrepreneurial ecosystem at the University: 2 Bachelor degree, 8 Master degree and Doctoral degree; Entrepreneurship research in the international reference project: GEM; and a determined drive to transfer the results of scientific research to the creation of new spin
offs (up‐down and Botton‐up).

MARIA SAIZ SANTOS https://orcid.org/0000‐0002‐4969‐0044 University of the Basque Country
(UPV/EHU).

LR of GEM Basque Country, Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Management Committee in GEM España.

Chair of Basque Entrepreneurship Observatory EEB‐OVE.
Director of Entrepreneurship MBA: MBAe3 University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU.

LR. Research Group ECYS.14, Promoting the Circular and Sustainable Economy based on Innovationand Entrepreneurship.

Researcher ERASMUS + Reinventing Mentoring in Arts Management and ERASMUS + VI‐TRAIN‐Crafts

Mentor in Youth Business Spain/Laboral Kutxa

Academic committee of Startinnova (Entrepreneurship Program in secondary).

Outstanding mention Spanning Boundaries (UIIN) https://www.spanning‐boundaries.eu/wpcontent/uploads/2021/03/Spanning‐Boundaries‐Agents‐Profile‐Book‐1.pdf

Accreditation evaluator of ACEEU https://www.aceeu.org

D. External Relationship UPV/EHU (2007‐2014). D. and founder of the Spin off programme ZITEK.Management of 4 incubators for technology‐based spin offs. Definition of policies and programs to promote entrepreneurship.
She holds 60 scholarship articles, books, book’s chapters and monographs.

Key People


Prof. Iñaki Peña Legazkue
Professor
BASQUE ENTREPRENEURSHIP OBSERVATORY,  Deusto Business School



Dr. Aitor Urzelai & Ms. Leyre Madariaga
Director
Basque Government,  SPRI



Ms. Izaskun Artetxe & Ms. Eva Armesto
Director
Economic Promotion,  Bizkaia County Council



Mr. Joseba Amondarain
Director
Economic Promotion,  Gipuzkoa County Council



Prof. Andrés Araujo
Professor
Financial economics II,  University of the Basque Country



Prof. Jon Barrutia
Dean
Faculty Business and Economy,  University of the Basque Country


Acknowledgements

BASQUE GOVERNMENT (SPRI)
BIZKAIA COUNTY COUNCIL
GIPUZKOA COUNTY COUNCIL
ARABA COUNTY COUNCIL
University of the Basque Country
Deusto Business School

Images

Leyre Madariaga

Maria Saiz

Ainara Basurko y Eva Armesto

IMPACT STORY

Impacting lifes

When I “started up” this life Project, the word “start up” did not exist. Most of activities I “started up” has been innovative actions that did not exist in the University of the Basque Country and in Basque Ecosystem. That gave me the opportunity to start from scratch with the change of mentality in the university, to create an entrepreneurial ecosystem in the University of the Basque Country and strengthen the capability for transferring science and technology in my institution. Some examples of high impact:
The University of the Basque Country is the second Spanish university in the ranking of creation of university spin offs. The data has remained stable over the last decade, because of the entrepreneurship model implemented at the UPV/EHU since 2007. Source: IUNE https://iune.es/innovacion/spin‐offZitek incubators, UPV/EHU are year by year in the national top ten of best incubators of Spain. Source: https://www.funcas.es/wp‐content/uploads/2022/03/FUNCAS‐2022.pdf
In 2015, UPV/EHU received the European Enterprise Promotion Award, National Winner Promoting the Entrepreneurial Spirit. European Commission.
MBAe3 and Zitek have promoted and supported the creation of dozens of startups that have received several national and regional awards that recognize their innovative activity and their impact on employment and wealth creation.
I am member of the Advisory Council of the Basque Entrepreneurship Ecosystem, Basque Government https://bideoak2.euskadi.eus/2021/04/27/news_68563/Plan_PIE.pdf
Due to the global impact on external financing in my university and on the media impact, I received last year an outstanding mention for the impulse of university‐business policies, Spanning Boundaries (UIIN) https://www.spanning‐boundaries.eu/wp‐content/uploads/2021/03/Spanning‐Boundaries‐Agents‐Profile‐Book‐1.pdf

LEARNINGS

Lessons learned

You have to know how to fail as a leader. Try to think that it is not a failure; it is just patience and perseverance.
You just have to wait for the right moment to “freeze” and revive projects. It is important to innovate at the right time in the University. It is tremendously difficult to change the mentality of a University, focused on teaching and researching, and turn it into an entrepreneurial university. Even more trying to turn a successful researcher into a technological entrepreneur, reconciling his/her academic and business life.
Many of the projects that I have been temporarily left unexecuted have been launched before the university authorities were prepared for it: Awards for doctoral thesis with entrepreneurial potential; a specific program for attention to business closure/failure; or a leave of absence protocol for entrepreneurial professors). Do not propose “your” project; try to make it the project of the person who decides.

FUTURE PLANS

What's coming?

‐ “Emprendeturix” Consolidate the University of Basque Country as a real Entrepreneurial University.
‐ A specific program for attention to business closure/failure.
‐ Consolidation of BASQUE ENTREPRENEURSHIP OBSERVATORY.
‐ Expand the impact of MBAe3 by sharing MBAe3 with other universities.
‐ Mentoring program for migrant entrepreneurs.
‐ Communication project to make visible entrepreneurial leaders.

KEY STATISTICS

590.642 euros (9473.40 audience; 76 news)

ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT IMPACTS IN THE PRESS, RADIO AND DIGITAL PRESS (2021‐May 2022), CLIPPING REPORT AVAILABLE

270 students/year; 60 innovative business plan/year; 5 average awarded projects/year

Impact on entrepreneurial training in University: students, business plan and entrepreneurial awards

Twitter: 2300 followers (channels) Linkedin: more than 3200 contacts and followers (2600 in my personal chanel)

Impact on social networks

165,000 euros/year (total income generated: 250.000 euros/year)

Total budget. Total public funding.

2500 high school students/year (9 editions)

Startinnova Entrepreneurship Program in Secondary Education

Triple E Awards

The Triple E Awards are a global recognition of efforts toward the quest for entrepreneurship and engagement in higher education. It is the first award to focus specifically on different dimensions of the universities' third mission. Implemented regionally, the Triple E Awards aim to foster change in universities and to emphasize their role in their communities and ecosystems.

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