Entrepreneurs in Bermuda who care about the environment and development are eligible for an award of over $30,000, the US State Department told The

A spokesperson for the State Department said that Bermudian partnerships can join the Supporting Entrepreneurs for Environment and Development (SEED) initiative during the next call for proposals, expected in April, 2005.

The Bermudian groups will then be eligible to win the 2006 award.

The Bermuda branch of the US Consulate General announced this week that the US has started to fund the SEED initiative, joining Germany and Norway. Bermuda?s Acting US Consul General Antoinette Beocker said that the US ?is contributing both financial and technical support to the initiative. SEED encourages innovative partnerships that promote sustainable development?.

?SEED operates through an international awards programme, capacity-building activities and a research programme,? she said.

People, businesses and organisations that support the sustainable use of natural resources could receive awards from SEED. ?A key aspect of the initiative is that it provides awards to innovative partnership proposals,? she said.

The winning partnerships will receive awards of $30,811.93 (25,000 Euros) ?in developing business plans, seeking funding and setting up partnerships?, she said. The partnerships will serve as showcases for other initiatives. On September 7 the Office of the Spokesman in Washington DC released more details through Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky.

SEED was originally announced at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development.

The partnership has three main objectives: to recognise innovative, promising approaches by granting awards every two years, to showcase winning partnerships on www.seedinit.org and to provide advice to the burgeoning partnerships online.