BALANCE – Green & Stable – Bringing Sustainability and Environmental Action Together for Better Future Erasmus Project

Project Title

BALANCE – Green & Stable – Bringing Sustainability and Environmental Action Together for Better Future

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: Enterprise, industry and SMEs (incl. entrepreneurship); Environment and climate change; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

The need for climate action and sustainable resources management is more important than ever. The Green Deal presented by the European Commission on 11th of December 2019, sets the goal, Europe to be a climate-neutral continent by 2050. The Green Deal addresses the immediate need for specific actions that support Circular Economy, helping to reduce CO2 emissions, transform the energy industry, move the production to a more environmental-friendly stage and many more.

The way to becoming Climat-Neutral continent will put in front of us new types of challenges. One of them lay in front of small and midsized enterprises (SMEs) which have an essential role in achieving a greener economy as it is indicated by the Green Action Plan. The upcoming regulations based on the Green Deal are extremely needed, but also they put many of the traditional business models in a transitional situation. The small business struggled in the past decay to recover from a financial crisis, finds it hard to adapt quickly to the challenges ahead. The most sensitive are the SMEs, where change management is challenged by the lack of present financial or human resources, sustainability and knowledge, especially for micro SMEs.

BALANCE is a project that steps on the key learning points from the Green Action Plan for SMEs, to combine best practices around EU and back them up with financial knowledge in order to create a valuable and training program which curriculum is based on ECVET for the transformation of the small business into more greener without having to sacrifice the financial sustainability of the enterprises and allow them to keep their employees.

The direct target group of Balance project are the SMEs (SME’s decision-takers, SME’s Consultants, Entrepreneurs) They will have access to the training program, e-learning program materials that will help them transform their operations. The SME’s consultants are included as a direct target group in order to accelerate the dissemination of the results and reach up even more SMEs.
Indirect target group – Employees in SMEs. The project’s results tackle the financial sustainability of the SMEs, who are providing 133 million jobs across the EU. The investment in knowledge in SMEs prepares them to become capable to handle the transition period and sustain the current level of employment. Moreover, they will know how to pre-qualify their staff when changes are applied.

BALANCE has the objectives to:
1. Provide a Report over best environmental practises already implemented within EU
2. Provide financial analysis on those measures
3. Create a dedicated training program for Greener SMEs
4. Provide SME’s consultants with a training program
5. Develop E-Learning program accessible to all
6. Provide workshops and Multiplier events and help more micro SMEs to embrace a greener future

The direct results will be:
– Report: Green policies and financial sustainability – presenting examples in the partnering countries and provides financial analysis over the current best practises in the business sector.
– Training program: Green and stable SMEs – comprising of the training ECVET based curriculum and materials, presentations, framework – providing the needed information to SME’s decision-makers how to transform their operations without causing a financial stress to the enterprises
– E-learning web platform: Greener and Sustainable Business – complimenting the training program and responsive for desktop version, mobile and tablets for promotion on the green measures and including video materials, case studies, quizzes and other training materials.

The activities and intermediate results will include:
– Synthesis report of focus groups results and the surveys at EU level and needs analysis of SME’s decision-makers for change-management, environmentally measures and financial sustainability
– 6 national reports on best environmental practices across the partnering countries
– Project Management Plan, Quality assurance plan, Dissemination strategy
– 18 workshops, 6 multiplier events and 4 transnational meetings

The project will be carried by 6 partners from Bulgaria, Ireland, Cyprus, Greece, Spain, Belgium. Four of the partnering organisations work directly with the target group as adult training organisations and consultants of SMEs, one organisation is a VET provider with Environmental Science Education program and one organisation is working on a European and international level for providing geographic and environmental education as an association.

The expected impact on SME’s decision-makers and consultants will be to enhance their knowledge of how to make a successful transition towards greener operations without having to sacrifice financial sustainability or employees. Through the project, it is expected project to reach 200000 people for the first two years and to involve directly over 500 SME’s and consultants in the different activities and 600 stakeholders.

Project Website

https://balanceproject.eu/

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 193090 Eur

Project Coordinator

Inspire Bulgaria – Association & Country: BG

Project Partners

• POLITEKNIKA IKASTEGIA TXORIERRI S.COOP
• CCS DIGITAL EDUCATION LIMITED
• EUROGEO VZW
• AINTEK SYMVOULOI EPICHEIRISEON EFARMOGES YPSILIS TECHNOLOGIAS EKPAIDEFSI ANONYMI ETAIREIA
• A & A Emphasys Interactive Solutions Ltd