OREANDA-NEWS. August 16, 2016. The Harry and Reba Huge Foundation, which has supported the mobility of UT students and lecturers with Nebraska Wesleyan University and the College of Charleston for the past ten years, has in the last two years also contributed to promoting entrepreneurship among students. Recently, the foundation and university signed an agreement according to which the foundation will support the development and implementation of research-based business ideas of entrepreneurial students with 50,000 dollars to the Vega Fund.

UT Vice Rector for Development Erik Puura said that the additional sponsorship enables UT to boost at least five new business ideas in 2017, in addition, the representatives of the Harry and Reba Huge Foundation are also members of the committees of the competitions and help to establish contacts with US investors.

“It is really great that Harry Huge, who received the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana in 2006 for contributing to the independence of Estonia, continues so generously to support our development in areas of development important to us,” added Puura.

In the past two years the Harry and Reba Huge Foundation has supported the participation of entrepreneurial UT students in the “Network Globally, Act Locally” programme where local and US students with innovative ideas develop their business ideas in Estonia as well as the US.

This year programme participants included the winners of the business and project idea competition Kaleidoskoop, the creators of the website Konku for rental ads without broker’s fee, Need2Park, which developed parking management software, and the web platform Hire Young. Joonas P?der and Karl-Sander Erss, creators of Konku, were so successful in the programme that they received the support of the US entrepreneurs in the committee and 2,000 dollars to develop their idea.

Until now there were three universities in the programme but in the coming year, Tallinn University of Technology and the Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, will also join.

Founder of the Harry and Reba Huge Foundation Harry Huge expressed joy over cooperation with the UT and sees an opportunity to contribute even more to developing the entrepreneurial spirit of Estonian youth and the cooperation between US and Estonian universities.

Harry Huge said that the foundation has grown since the beginning of cooperation ten years ago. “Now with the Citadel and Tallinn University of Technology there are five universities with the Foundation. That will make NGAL III very lively and perhaps even more competitive. So with it and our other programmes we look forward to the next 10 years.”

The Harry and Reba Huge Foundation also supports the mobility of UT students and lecturers with UT partners Nebraska Wesleyan University and the College of Charleston.