Month: November 2016

Grants for projects supporting migrant entrepreneurs

The Competitiveness of Enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises (COSME) program is seeking applications for Migrants Entrepreneurship Support Schemes with an aim to promote growth and to strengthen the competitiveness and sustainability of enterprises in the European Union.
The objective of this Call for Proposals is to support the creation, the improvement and the wider dissemination of support schemes for migrant entrepreneurs in order to help migrants to become self-employed and build a successful enterprise (profit-generating and/or with social objectives).

Priority Areas
• Outreach to migrant communities and awareness-raising actions
• Business training
• Provision of legal and regulatory advice
• Provision of individual business support
• Mentoring
• Provision of working spaces and related services
• Access to finance
• Access to networks

Activities supported by this call will be aimed at:
• the creation of cross-regional and cross-country networks of migrant entrepreneurship support providers;
• the organisation of face-to-face and on-line meetings, seminars and workshops bringing together representatives of migrant entrepreneurship support organisations from different regions and countries;
• the collection and exchange of data on the results and impacts of existing schemes to support migrant entrepreneurs;
• the evaluation of services to migrants provided by participating organisations;
• the improvement and further development of support for migrant entrepreneurs provided so far, including its extension to additional dimensions of support;
• the transfer or extension to another region/country of existing schemes;
• the establishment of joint projects between participating organisations;
• the dissemination of information, guidance and advice to a wider audience of interested public administrations and migrant support organisations.

Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must set up a consortium with a designated coordinator. The consortium (i.e. the coordinator plus its partners) must be composed of 5 legal entities located in at least 3 COSME Participating countries.
Eligible applicants (coordinator and partners in the consortium) are organisations that are active in helping the economic and social integration of migrants, and/or in fostering migrant entrepreneurship and/or in providing support services to entrepreneurs and would-be entrepreneurs such as:
• Public authorities and public administrations (at the national, regional or city level);
• Chamber of commerce and industry and similar bodies;
• Business associations and business support networks;
• Business support organisations and incubators;
• NGOs, non-profit organisations, associations and foundations working with migrants;
• Private and public entities specialised in education and training

EU financing rate: 90% of eligible costs.

The maximum grant per project will be EUR 375 000.

Expected project duration: 36 months.

Deadline: 20 December 2016.

How to apply
Applications need to be submitted online through the Participant Portal. Further details, including the guide for applicants can be accessed here.