JUNITEC was once again elected the “Most Innovative Junior Enterprise” at national level. The “JeniAL Awards 2020” virtual ceremony was held on 2nd May. According to Tomás Bogalho, vice president of JUNITEC, “this award aims to highlight the most innovative Junior Enterprise, both in external and internal project and it’s a recognition of our committment and dedication”.
This is the second consecutive year that JUNITEC has been elected the “Most Innovative Junior Enterprise” at a national level. “Winning this award once again is great, but winning it two years in a row is in fact the proof that JUNITEC’s mission and vision are based on the promotion of innovation and entrepreneurship”, stresses Tomás Bogalho. “In such a competitive and increasingly demanding environment, receiving this award for the second consecutive year is something that makes us very proud and satisfied”, adds the Técnico student.
Divided into five categories, the JeniAL Awards aim to recognise the achievements, committment and excellence of these talent incubators. According to Tomás Bogalho, this competition is increasingly demanding, due to the increasing number and quality of national Junior Enterprises: “This makes us work more and better every day and, ultimately, makes us feel even more proud for such recognition”, says the vice president of JUNITEC. “JUNITEC is the oldest Junior Enterprise in the country, so it is quite interesting to evaluate the growth of the junior entrepreneurial movement at national level and to identify the significant increase in the quality of the work that is done”, he stresses.
According to Tomás Bogalho, the fact that JUNITEC was recently elected the Most Entrepreneurial Junior Enterprise in Europe, did not have influence on winning the “JeniAL Award”: “These two awards are completely different and have very different evaluation metrics. Being recognised the Most Entrepreneurial Junior Enterprise in Europe makes us stand out internationally, but it should not be a parameter to be taken into account when we apply for national awards”. On the other hand, the award given by Junior Enterprises Europe “was key to boost team motivation that ends up making us further improve the quality of our work”.
These awards, although important and stimulating, are not the focus of JUNITEC team. “Our work is based on the values and principles that guide us. We don’t work for awards”, says the vice president of JUNITEC. “Winning this award is a confirmation that we are taking the right steps towards an innovative future”, adds the vice-president. “Times change and technologies evolve, but at JUNITEC innovation is a priority. It always has been and always will be”, he adds.
We wanted to know how JUNITEC is overcoming the challenges of COVID-19. “We are doing all we can to minimize the negative effects of this pandemic on our activity”, highlights the vice president, stressing that most JUNITEC projects are being carried out remotely. “On the other hand, we believe that the human component, which is an intrinsic value of JUNITEC, has been strongly affected by the current situation. We must continue our work in order to preserve a strong and united organizational structure and, at the same time, continue to innovate”.
