EU COSME Call for Proposals 2016: Migrants Entrepreneurship Support Schemes! Deadline: 20 December 2016

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 general objective of this initiative is to support the creation, the improvement and the wider dissemination of support schemes for migrant entrepreneurship in order to help migrants to become self-employed and build a successful enterprise (profit-generating and/or with social objectives).

The scope of this initiative includes interventions that target legally-staying third-country nationals in the territory of the EU. Moreover this initiative may include interventions that target EU citizens with a migration background (i.e. EU citizens with non-EU background).

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

Funding Information

• The total budget earmarked for the co-financing of projects is estimated at EUR 1 500 000.
• This amount could be increased if additional budgetary appropriations are made available
• The grant is limited to a maximum reimbursement rate of 90% of eligible costs.
• The maximum grant per project will be 375 000 EUR
• EASME reserves the right not to distribute all the funds available.

Focus Activities

Activities supported by this call will aim 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 organizations 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 be legal entities forming a consortium.
• 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 this includes:
  • 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
• Only applications from legal entities established in the following countries are eligible:
  • EU Member States
  • Countries participating in the COSME programme pursuant to Article 6 of the COSME Regulation

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted online via given website.

Eligible Countries: 

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark,Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta,Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the UK.

For more information, please visit EU.