Until now, it was not possible in Austria to be publicly identified as a social enterprise. With the present label as Verified Social Enterprise this shall be changed. All social enterprises that meet certain criteria can apply for the label as a Verified Social Enterprise at the aws. After a positive review by an independent impact board, the label "Verified Social Enterprise" or VSE is awarded and can be carried in the company name and used for public communication. In addition, all certified VSEs appear in the company service portal as well as in the A-Z company register of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber and can be specifically found as such there.
Who gets a Label?
Social Enterprises (companies, cooperatives, associations) founded to make a contribution to societey - social or environmental.
Industries
All
Target group
Founded start-ups, SMEs, large companies, cooperatives as well as associations.
Validity of the label
Re-label process after 3 years
Duration review process
4 - 8 Weeks
Application
Ongoing
Social enterprises are companies that were founded to make a contribution to society - socially or environmentally. Their objectives can usually be mapped to the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). Profit generation is subordinate to the social objectives (impact first) and is primarily understood as a way to finance the impact.
Until now, it was not possible in Austria to be publicly identified as a social enterprise. With the present label as Verified Social Enterprise this shall be changed. All social enterprises that meet certain criteria can apply for the label as a Verified Social Enterprise at the aws. After a positive review by an independent impact board, the label "Verified Social Enterprise" or VSE is awarded and can be carried in the company name and used for public communication. In addition, all certified VSEs appear in the company service portal as well as in the A-Z company register of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber and can be specifically found as such there.
The present label is awarded by the Federal Ministry of Labor and Economy (BMAW) and handled by Austria Wirtschaftsservice GmbH (aws) in close cooperation with the Social Entrepreneurship Network Austria (SENA) and the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKÖ).
- All commercially active organizations based in Austria that have dedicated their business model to achieving a societal (social and/or environmental) impact and commit themselves accordingly in their statutes, articles of association or partnership agreements or in an independent confirmation.
- Requirements
- Publicly accessible impact report incl. meaningful impact logic
- Self-commitment
- Pitch deck
- Companies, cooperatives, associations and research institutes that do not have a registered office or permanent establishment in Austria
- Companies, cooperatives and associations that cannot demonstrate an impact on the basis of impact documentation
- You apply for funding via the aws funding manager.
We analyze the application according to content and formal criteria and check the completeness of the documents. The following documents are mandatory to submit:
The mandatory templates can be found in the download area.
- Pitch deck (template)
- Impact report incl. impact logic (template)
- Self-commitment (articles of association or statutes)
If the formal requirements are not met, the application will be excluded from further processing.- Evaluation of the content of all complete applications that meet the specified criteria by the Impact Board.
- Final decision during the jury meeting.
Contact
Our service hours for specific questions:
Monday–Friday: 8am – 2pm
Tel.: +43 1 501 75 - 606
E-Mail: verifiedsocialenterprise@aws.at
