JOINT VENTURE – Business between socially excluded people and NGOs Erasmus Project

Project Title

JOINT VENTURE – Business between socially excluded people and NGOs

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for adult education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Access for disadvantaged; Labour market issues incl. career guidance / youth unemployment; Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education

Project Summary

JOINT VENTURE aims to design a new incubation methodology for people at risk of exclusion who intend to undertake, but, and this is the most innovative part, together with an NGO and supported by the business world. We will validate how this hybrid model of collaboration between ENTREPRENEURS AND NGOs should be, analysing the best practices, training contents, validating through the incubation of 9 joint ventures (1 person plus 1 NGO). And finally making this new methodology available to all NGOs and administrations in Europe. In this way, we will generate a productive fabric, we will support the NGOs in the creation of new ways of income and we will help to solve the situation of 83 million people at risk of exclusion.

With this objective the JOINT VENTURE consortium is formed by 6 entities from 5 countries (UK, Spain, Romania, Bulgaria, and Italy):

1) DACORUM: NGO whose working basis is to develop training tools and social enterprises. They also have experience in supporting other NGOs in their business projects (UK)
2) FI GROUP: is a business consulting firm specialized in innovation and with its own business accelerator. It is the most direct connection with the business world (ES)
3) CASA IONA: is an NGO with extensive experience in working with vulnerable groups, they have several residences and give them psychosocial support and job training (RO)
4) CEED: is a Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Development. The Foundation has developed multiple programmes for the incubation of entrepreneurs and business projects (BG)
5) ASOCIACIÓN CON VALORES: is an NGO with a business focus that works with groups at risk of exclusion, its members are professionals from the business world with extensive experience in entrepreneurship (ES)
6) DANILO DOLCI: is an NGO focused on education of disadvantaged groups through innovative techniques in which creativity, communication, and cooperation have an important role(IT)

The objectives of JOINT VENTURE during the 30 months of the project will be:

– To design an incubation methodology to work on the joint venture between the person at risk of exclusion and the NGOs
– Building a social incubator
– Create a new model of collaboration between entrepreneurs, NGOs and business professionals
– Develop a training course focused on the needs and limitations of these entrepreneurs
– Create economically viable business models that will allow them to have a dignified life again
– To make this tool well-known among the entrepreneurial system, companies, NGOs, and administrations

The project proposes the generation of 4 Intellectual Results:
1. We will design the methodology and the training contents necessary to be able to undertake these people with the support of the NGOs to which they belong. The training programme has to be adapted to the double profile of the incubated people, entrepreneurs at risk of exclusion and NGO professionals.
2. Book with the best 88 success stories in Europe of business projects led by NGOs, in this way we will identify those business models that are more economically and socially viable.
3. Practical validation guide for the incubator: We will work with 9 entrepreneurs and their 9 NGOs, with whom we will build business models supported by professionals from the business world. In this phase, practical information on the project will be gathered.
4. Social measurement: finding the right indicators to measure the companies created and to deliver Lessons Learned.

The direct impact that JOINT VENTURE activities will have on participants and target groups will be:
– Number of NGOs participating in the project: 9 directly and out of 60 contacted in 3 countries
– Number of entrepreneurs at risk of exclusion: 9 directly and about 30 participants in the pre-selection
– Number of teachers/mentors: about 6 directly involved in the incubator and about 100 contacted
– Number of enterprises: 3 directly involved in the incubator and about 50 contacted

The impact that JOINT VENTURE will have on the project partners will be:
– 5 multiplier events (E1 to E5) and 1 final closing event organized with +50 entities from the social, business, entrepreneurial ecosystem, university, technology centers, and administration worlds (E6)
– An incubation methodology for groups at risk of exclusion in collaboration with the social and business sector
– An entrepreneurship course focused on people from these groups open to all NGOs in the EU

The aim of this project is to build a more FAIR and INCLUSIVE EU through the self-creation of employment by people at risk of exclusion

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 324318 Eur

Project Coordinator

DACORUM COUNCIL FOR VOLUNTARY SERVICE & Country: UK

Project Partners

• F. INICIATIVAS ESPAÑA I MAS D MAS I SLU
• CENTRO PER LO SVILUPPO CREATIVO DANILO DOLCI
• CEED Bulgaria
• EMPRESAS CON VALORES
• Asociatia Casa Ioana