Based in Amorebieta-Etxano in the Bilbao metropolitan area, Garapen is an organisation-network that brings together development agencies constituted by local institutions in the Basque Country. Migrant entrepreneurship is high on the regional economic agenda, as shown by the participation of the City of Gexco in the DELI project in 2014-15. Garapen is experienced in conducting EU-funded transnational projects and its wide-reaching network among Spanish municipalities and business support agencies places the organisation in an ideal position to carry the action in Spain and engage cities. The Cities of Bilbao and Tolosa are also committed to the project and actively take part in its activities.
The training agency of the Milan Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Craft and Agriculture responses to the training demand of the 325.000 enterprises registered within the Milan conurbation. MEGA activities are carried by Formaper’s international unit which has extensive experience with EU-funded projects in the migrant entrepreneurship area, including start-up support, business skill training or encouragement of women entrepreneurship, funded by EIF, ERDF, Erasmus+ and EASME. The City of Milan also takes part in the action and contributes to its implementation
Based in Hamburg, Entrepreneurs Without Borders is the foremost platform furthering the migrant entrepreneurship agenda in Hamburg. The non-profit association was founded by entrepreneurs of different nationalities and business branches as a platform for mutual exchange. The organisation successfully implemented projects in the fields of business start-ups, business consulting and training as well as education and parental advisory for the last 15 years. The association’s work focuses on strengthening the local economy, the promotion of business start-ups, particularly of people with a migrant background, as well as the participation of women in economic life. MEGA will be instrumental in strengthening the commitment to migrant entrepreneurship in the municipality, mainstream business support organisations and in the city’s overall economic development policies.
MPG is an independent Brussels-based ‘think-and-do-tank’ and coordinates the MEGA network. For more than 20 years, MPG has provided comparative evidence, tools, inspiration, dialogue and networks that policymakers and stakeholders have used extensively at European, national and local/regional level to create more ambitious and effective anti-discrimination laws, integration and legal immigration policies. Migrant entrepreneurship is a cross-cutting priority for MPG’s integration and antidiscrimination work, more particularly in its 2016-2019 strategy.
The municipal department for employment and economy has a pioneering role in furthering local-level migrant entrepreneurship support in Germany. The city has implemented an innovative and successful migrant entrepreneur outreach and networking model, matching communities and (potential) entrepreneurs with mainstream business support actors and public authorities. Munich is widely networked and participated in the DELI - Diversity in the Economy and Local Integration project in 2014-15. Results and experiences from DELI are made available to the partners and will feed into the peer learning activities. MEGA’s mid-term Peer Learning Event will take place in Munich, coinciding with the award ceremony of the annual Phoenix Price for outstanding migrant entrepreneurs.
The branch of GRDR – a nation-wide NGO dedicated to migrant inclusion – based in Montreuil has a broad project portfolio in the migrant entrepreneurship support field. Working closely with the Île-de-France region, GRDR has put in place a long-standing regional training school for migrant entrepreneurs and is founding member of the “Support Group for Micro and Medium Enterprise” which strengthens migrant entrepreneurs by capitalising on their ties with countries of origin. In MEGA, GRDG leads the transnational peer-learning activities in the Paris region and the national needs assessment.
Based in Paris, Adive is a key actor promoting and supporting migrant entrepreneurship in France. Current multi-annual projects include “Créarif” to identify minority entrepreneurs in development, provide strategic advice and capacity building and support business networking. “Achats et Diversité” include business meetings where minority entrepreneurs meet procurement officers of large corporations to sell goods and services. In MEGA, Adive leads the National Coalition building activities in France using its wide-reaching network and experience in organising national events to further the migrant entrepreneurship agenda.