International Green Entrepreneurship and Innovative Employment Center Erasmus Project

Project Title

International Green Entrepreneurship and Innovative Employment Center

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 youth

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2016

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Labour market issues incl. career guidance / youth unemployment; Entrepreneurial learning – entrepreneurship education; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

Turkey needs high qualified entrepreneurship on its way to the innovation-oriented economy in order to save itself from the handicap that is described as a middle-income trap. Thus last few decades, stood out entrepreneurs who consider sustainable development studies based on increasing the life quality while avoiding harming natural resources, innovation, and creativity. At the end of the process a new kind of entrepreneurship, eco/green employment which is environment and ecology centered, appeared.

On the other hand, young unemployment is a problem that is usually encountered in the least innovated economies. Our country also faces the young unemployment problem due to its high young population. This problem is also one of the biggest of EU’s especially Mediterranean countries’ problem. In our country according to TUIK’s data young unemployment rates are %27, 9 among the age group who are 15-24. College graduated unemployment rates have been higher than any other years for the last 20 years. This points out that universities are insufficient in the matter of being employed and lots of young have been considered as a lost generation. Young unemployment rates are %50 for Greece and Spain, %43 for Italy and %20 as for our project partner, Hungary.

Green entrepreneurship which is one of the top topics that EU prioritizes, eco-innovation processes and creating a support system for the needs of young are going to be considered as a whole in our project. EU’s “2020 Smart, Sustainable and Inclusive Growth” Strategy, supports the working models that focus on green growth so while sustaining welfare it does not harm nature. It’s targeted that by 2020 creating employment in the sector for 3, 5 millions of people and reaching the resource efficiency in working processes by 2030. Between the years 2014 – 2020, 220 million Euros were planned to be used for the purpose.

Green entrepreneurship lies at the basis of development, both by adopting environmental benefits and considering the priorities of unemployment and economic welfare. The ultimate goal of our project is to contribute to the developing of a green entrepreneurship ecosystem and to build a successful international model based on the idea that a developing and growing economy and a healthy environment can be combined. In addition to that;

– Creating green entrepreneurship center as a first and good example
– Developing green entrepreneurship applied training set in order to use by trainers and facilitators
– Revealing green startups across Europe and make them scale
– Preparing field research and carry out a needs analysis for stakeholders and actors in green entrepreneurship sector.
– Increase the number of green jobs and contribute to the fundamental transformation of green employment.

This green enterprise center will work as a network and be a center of consultancy, education, business development activities. By bringing staff that will work within the center, independent experts, NGO workers, investors, academicians, and entrepreneur candidates together this canter will hold some activities such as; idea workshops, joint study grounds, workshops, educational activities, and consultancy service. Besides this center, 4 different outputs will produce in cooperation with 4 different partners from 4 different countries. In addition to intellectual outputs, international meetings (4 times), training and learning activities (2 times for students and experts), dissemination activities (6 times) and study visits (3 times) has taken place. Project design base on non-formal learning methods and tools by targeting youth’ needs and problems by using ICT tools for 24 months.

To achieve the stated objectives, Büyükçekmece Municipality and GEO from Turkey, IMRO DDKK from Hungary, the Academy of Entrepreneurship from Greece, the Lithuanian Institute have established a partnership. Many of the objectives set out in the project have been achieved, even exceed.

To the extent that it will contribute to economic and social benefit in the medium and long term;

– Steps were taken to transform the green entrepreneurship center into a 3-floor complex of approximately 450 square meters.
– 42 experts and 12 start-ups graduated from the program as a result of mentorship services and O5 process.
– 102 participant involved an international exchange in LTT’s, TM’s and multiplier events.
– International Bootcamp in foundations laid and first
– 11 young people were employed and economic value of approximately 380,000 Euros was created (based on our estimations thanks to employed youth and graduated start-ups’ valuations)

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 271757 Eur

Project Coordinator

Municipality of Büyükçekmece & Country: TR

Project Partners

• Kuresel Cevre Dernegi
• IMRO-DDKK KORNYEZETVEDELMI NONPROFIT KFT
• EUROPOS SOCIALINIS VERSLUMO UGDYMO IR INOVATYVIU STUDIJU INSTITUTAS
• ACADEMY OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP ASTIKI ETAIREIA