The US Ambassador to Slovakia Gautam Rana presented the Innovation Awards of the US Embassy, which are intended to highlight exceptional contributions by individuals, non-governmental organisations and public figures towards building the innovation ecosystem in the country, TASR learnt from the embassy on Thursday. The Head of the EC Representation in Slovakia Vladimir Sucha, the manager of Pixel Federation Lucia Sickova, the head of the non-profit organisation Nexteria Tomas Hasala and the chief of the Slovak-American Foundation Mary MacPherson all received the award.
"I arrived in Slovakia just last month, but I'm already impressed by the ingenuity, determination and many successes of Slovak entrepreneurs and startups. Many of these successes have been achieved thanks to partnerships with US companies, investors or academics, thus strengthening the bond between our two countries," said Rana. As he added, the embassy staff are determined to help Slovakia to develop a strong business environment, one that supports risk-taking and welcomes new ideas in every region.
Lucia Sickova, who oversees the management of Pixel Federation's development programmes, won the award for supporting entrepreneurship.
Tomas Hasala received the innovation award of the US Embassy for building up networking in the innovation ecosystem. His company, Nexteria, covers after-school development programmes for young people and students who have the ambition to create positive changes in business, education and society.
The incumbent head of the EC Representation in Slovakia Vladimir Sucha received the same award for his influence on public policy in the field of innovation.
The final award, for lifetime achievement in recognition of exceptional influence on the innovation ecosystem, was given to Mary MacPherson, the head of the Slovak American Foundation, which has sent approximately 40 students, scientists and 18 startup companies to the United States via the U.S. Internship and U.S. Connections programmes.
Source: TASR
