The Start Up Festival which took place in Malta on the 13th and 14th of October also served as the perfect place for the launch of the Startup Residency Programme.
Dr. Miriam Dalli, Minister for Environment, Energy and Enterprise announced the launch of the Startup Residency Programme. Dr. Dalli opened up her speech by addressing the students at the Startup Festival by stating that dreams can become a reality, that Malta’s future is dependent on their ideas through persistent work and determination. She added that the Startup Festival is not only a startup hub but also a mine of ideas which can change lives.
Moreover, she added that the Startup Residency Programme is not only a visa programme, however it offers the possibility of a residence permit ensuring that people can both work and live in Malta. Dr. Dalli, stated that one should make Malta their permanent home while ensuring that the most innovative ideas will be added to the already solid ecosystem.
She stated that Malta is not only a vibrant island offering a Mediterranean lifestyle, but that it is the ideal place to start business as Malta Enterprise will ensure that businesses experience a smooth experience through finance in repayable grants, seed funding and support. This will guarantee the exposure of these products to the European market as well as the rest of the World.
Hon Byron Camilleri, Minister for Home Affairs, Law Enforcement and National Security stated that Malta has a strong ecosystem with diverse policies ensuring diversification, innovation and also specialisation through Government services support and funding. He added that Malta is the ideal place to start one’s businesses due to its size, that English is one of our official languages and the fact that Malta has entities to promote business such as Malta Enterprise and Residency Malta.
Kurt Farrugia, CEO of Malta Enterprise and Charles Mizzi from the Residency Agency in Malta explained that the programme is to increase Malta’s competitiveness making it attractive to innovative startups and scaleups. The Residency Programme is targeted towards non-EU citizens to facilitate the process in particular for third country nationals. It is a programme targeted for founders and co-founders for employees and their family members.
