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EMEN

European Migrant Entrepreneurship Network : Crossing borders for financial and business development services

The promotion of migrant entrepreneurship is a challenge in all European countries, as they form an important entrepreneurial resource and make a major contribution.

Grant Agreement Number: 856680

Funded by: COSME       Duration:  10/2017-10/2020 


Challenge

The promotion of migrant entrepreneurship is a challenge in all European countries. Migrants form an important entrepreneurial resource and make a major contribution to business dynamism.

However, migrant entrepreneurs apart from the same barriers as others entrepreneurs should contend with language, cultural differences, unfamiliarity with regulatory frameworks as well as the risks of social exclusion and prejudice. Consequently, what should be guaranteed is that all services to entrepreneurs are designed inclusively and with diversity in mind.

Innovation

By sharing practices, experiences and learnt lessons on migrant entrepreneurship across and between public administrations, business development support and financial organisations, social enterprises,  non-profit organisations, educational institutions and other public and private organisations supporting migrant entrepreneurship, EMEN aims at supporting schemes for migrant entrepreneurs.

Action

EMEN has established three communities of practice (CoPs) which share information and knowledge and disseminate good practices on three areas that are key to supporting migrant entrepreneurship in the short to medium term: 
·         Coaching and mentoring
·         Access to finance
·         Professionalisation of migrant entrepreneurs’ associations and diversity management in chambers of commerce.

These CoPs bring together relevant players at European, national and regional levels and their activities aim at meeting their members’ needs, under the guidance of their experienced leaders. They will operate continually via online fora, and will also meet physically (a) at an annual conference of the whole project; and (b) at workshops arranged on the margins of other events as appropriate to their theme (including events organised by the partner organisations).

The CoPs will be open to all organisations supporting migrant entrepreneurs.

Read more here.

This activity aims at creating learning communities focusing on the most important elements of a supportive ecosystem for migrant entrepreneurs:
·         coaching and mentoring
·         access to finance
·         professionalisation of migrant entrepreneurs’ associations coupled with diversity management in mainstream business support organisations.

This activity includes:
·         Capitalization of knowledge, which consists of information resources, benchmarking, peer reviews, seminars, practical guide.
·         Events
·         3 Communities of Practices

For more information about the project visit the project library.

The main goal is the identification of bridges and links to other initiatives and the tools to get the most out of it. This will facilitate the engagement of related stakeholders and the cooperation with other project in the field of migrant entrepreneurship, creating thus a network to foster and support migrants in this sector.

Project Meeting, Hague
EU logo

The European Migrant Entrepreneurship Network (EMEN) project (no. 764369) has received funding from the European Union’s COSME Programme (2014-2020).

Project Partners

KMOP – Social Action and Innovation Centre
European Association for Information on Local Development (Belgium) (Project Coordinator)
The European Association for Local Democracy (France)
DIESIS (Belgium)
Social Impact GGBH (Germany)
CECOP Cicopa (Belgium)
UNITEE (Belgium)
Eurochambres (Belgium)
ETUC (Belgium)
REVES Network (Belgium)
Eurada (Belgium)
De Haagse Hogeschool (Netherlands)

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