Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs

Do you have a brilliant business idea? Are you a newly established entrepreneur? Would you be interested in expanding your company with fresh
ideas?

Then you
need look no further than the Erasmus for Your Entrepreneurs programme
(www.erasmus-entrepreneurs.eu), a mobility initiative co-financed by the
European Union.

This
programme organized by Malta Enterprise offers new entrepreneurs the
possibility to work for up to six months with an experienced entrepreneur in
another EU country. These exchanges take the form of ‘mentorships' whereby both
the new as well as the host entrepreneur benefit in various ways. Through the
collaboration with experienced entrepreneurs the individuals will benefit from
achieving new and relevant skills about will help them set up their own
business. On the other hand, the experienced host participant would benefit
from fresh perspectives on their own business whilst also getting the
opportunity to cooperate with foreign partners or learn about new markets.

The
entrepreneurs may also decide to extend the collaboration with new
entrepreneurs after the end of the exchange period. In this manner, the
programme stimulates entrepreneurship, competitiveness, internationalization
and growth of start-ups and established SMEs in the EU. It also contributes to
the transfer of know-how and building of management skills essential for the
running of an SME.

Who can
participate?

New
entrepreneurs eligible to participate in the programme are those who firmly
plan to start a business or otherwise have an existing business that is not
older than three years, irrespective of their personal age or the sector in
which they operate.

A host
entrepreneur can participate in the programme if he or she is the owner or
manager of an SME or directly involved in entrepreneurship at SME board level;
has experience running a company for several years; and is willing to act as a
mentor by sharing knowledge and experience with a new entrepreneur from a
different European state.

Malta
Enterprise can guide interested entrepreneurs helping them with the application
process, finding and establishing a successful relationship with a suitable
entrepreneur, as well as answering any questions. Malta Enterprise will also
provide financial support to whom participating in the programme, (partly)
covering travel costs to and from the country of the stay and subsistence costs
during the visit, which may last between one and six months.

In a few
words, what are the benefits of participating in this programme?

Benefits
for new or aspiring entrepreneurs:

Active
participation in the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme offers aspiring
entrepreneurs access to a wide range of benefits to help successfully run or
start a new business:

Benefits for host entrepreneurs:

As a host
entrepreneur participating in the programme, you will benefit from the exchange
by having the opportunity to:

The large
majority of host entrepreneurs enjoyed the experience so much that they decided
to host other new entrepreneurs afterwards!

The programme
information guide can be downloaded from here: