MIGRACTION: Migrants inclusion through entrepreneruship supported by business sector

Since 2015, migration has risen high on the agendas of governments and development partners, following its historic inclusion in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and as a response to large flows of migrants and refugees that have occurred in different parts of the world. In September 2016, governments adopted the New York Declaration, which calls for strengthening international cooperation on migration and forced displacement and for the development and adoption of two collaborative instruments – a global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration, and a global compact on refugees. Both compacts emphasize the issue of socioeconomic integration of both migrants and refugees, including through support to self-employment and entrepreneurship. They are based on the premise that migrants and refugees can contribute positively to the development of communities back at home or in their new places of residence, provided that their skills, capabilities and entrepreneurial spirit – often acquired in migration – are given sufficient support and recognition.

● to support the entrepreneurship of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees ● to involve professionals from business and social areas in educational communities for inclusive entrepreneurship ● to identify business opportunities for migrants, asylum seekers and refugees ● to design and implement a digital environment for business incubation and mentoring ● to develop an application for financial and legal assessment of new entrepreneurs with migrant or refugee background ● to create and foster local stakeholder groups in order to strengthen the topic

PR1 included two activities in particular: Identification of the start-up ecosystem and relevant stakeholders in the respective countries, Development of materials to facilitate the recruitment and involvement of trainers and mentors in incubation programs. PR2 consisted in an online tool to collect and disseminate business: Definition of selection criterias, Elaboration of a methodological framework, local workshops with relevant stakeholders, Description of 8 business opportunities, elaboration of mentoring plans. PR3: Digital platform for financial and legal assessment: Creation of an E-Learning platform on financial and legal mechanisms regarding entrepreneurship in 5 countries, study and identifying needs in each country, elaboration of contents, design of the e-learning application, testing with the target group. In PR4, 6 E-learning modules in 6 languages where developed, which support Incubation programmes and can also be used for self-studying: Training/incubation experiences for migrant people at risk of exclusion were analysed, we defined the incubation curricula, designed contents and resources and tested and validated the tool.

WP2: Communication and Dissemination: Project website in 6 languages, 9 newsletters, 9 videoclips, Social Media profils and regular posts WP3 (PR1): Recruiting professionals: Creation of local stakeholder groups, Definition of selection process and set of selection criteria for mentors recruitment, Call for professionals (Video & Poster), Definition of new models for volunteering plans in 4 languages WP4 (PR2) Business Ideas: Methodological framework to identify and analyse business opportunities, description of 8 (new) business ideas from and for migrant persons; Interviews with these persons and video clips, User-friendly and appealing digital platform in order to explain and business ideas, 8 mentoring plans drafted WP5 (PR3) Digital assessment tool: Realization of focus groups on national and transnational level, E-Learning Modules on the financial and legal mechanisms existing in the different partner countries, Testing, evaluation of the BETA version, launch of the final version WP6 (PR4) Developing a digital environment for business incubation:12 incubation models analysed, 6 modules on entrepreneurship designed in 6 languages, testing, evaluation of the BETA version, launch of the final version