Funded Projects 2014-2020
Project BizMentors
| Project Acronym | BizMentors |
|---|---|
| Project Title | BizMentors |
| Project Website |
Summary
Poor access to business expertise and networks is a challenge for SMEs and entrepreneurs across the NPA.
This is especially true for SMEs in low business density and population density areas and for under-represented groups including women, the disabled and ethnic minorities. While an established mentoring support system exists in all the partner regions, many fail to meet the criteria to qualify for mentoring support, the mentors lack a working knowledge of specific areas of expertise or the funding model is unsustainable. The BizMentors model, developed by SCCUL, has been proven to support individuals and businesses in a small dispersed community setting in Galway since 2012. It relies on the local support of established business people (mentors) to provide free guidance to those seeking it (mentees) in a structured and low cost way.
In a quadruple helix partnership approach, this project aims to innovate the model using an online interactive platform and shared learning to scale and expand BizMentors in the NPA Region, making expertise accessible to all enterprises and entrepreneurs. To test the new model, the partnership will focus on the Agri-Food sector. Having identified 587 existing agri-food businesses in the partner regions during the preparatory phase, the project will support end users to take advantage of the unique natural capital, innovation capacity and markets that remains untapped in the region.
The mentoring model developed will be piloted in each region participating in the project. The output from these pilots will inform future transferability to other business sectors and countries (not just in the NPA region). To support this, a transnational Best Practice Handbook (BPH) will be produced to inform decision makers seeking to implement effective, low cost and inclusive mentoring solutions in other regions.The online platform will be made freely available to other communities to enable the sharing of goodwill, knowledge, wisdom and experience.
Objectives
Provide an online barrier-free, brokered access to business expertise across dispersed communities in the project partner regions.
Provide community-based peer to peer mentoring support to entrepreneurs and businesses in the Agri-Food sector that is structured, free, managed centrally online and transferable across other sectors.
Develop a sustainable and transferrable toolkit and Best Practice Handbook (BPH) to complement existing models and policy frameworks in the partner regions for diversification and growth of businesses in the Agri-Food sector.
Lead Partner
- Western Development Commission
Ireland
Mr Ian Brannigan
phone +353949861881 / +353872587646
e-mail: ianbrannigan@wdc.ie
Partners
- Fermanagh and Omagh District Council
Northern Ireland - Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network
Iceland - SCCUL Enterprises CLG
Ireland - Savonia University of Applied Sciences ltd
Finland
Project Info
| Theme Business development, trade, marketing |
| Priority 2 Entrepreneurship |
| Objective 2.1 Improved support systems for SMEs |
| Project duration 30-09-18 to 29-09-21 |
| Total budget 1 343 494 EUR |
| NPA co-financing 813 370 EUR |
| Target groups local public authority sectoral agency interest groups including NGOs higher education and research enterprise, including SME business support organisation General public regional public authority |
| Joint Secretariat Desk Officer Rachel Burn |