Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs H ow to make the EU more entrepreneurial Christian WEINBERGER, Senior Adviser - Entrepreneurship & SME Policy European Commission - DG Enterprise & Industry Danube Region Competitiveness Seminar Stuttgart, 11 December 2013

A – How it works

... to facilitate exchange of experiences, learning and networking for new EU entrepreneurs through periods spent at SMEs of experienced entrepreneurs in another country. more healthy start - ups Internationalisation & Innovation Increase Competitiveness

EYE in Practice

Benefits for Host & New Entrepreneurs Get experience & advice from seasoned entrepreneur Develop international contacts Get knowledge about foreign markets Providers, clients, co - venturing opportunities Access new skills and innovative knowledge Work with a young fresh mind contributing new ideas Gain knowledge and intelligence about the foreign markets Opportunity to establish new business partner - ships with entrepreneurs from other countries Benefits for New Entrepreneurs Benefits for Host Entrepreneurs

STEP 1: Online application 1. Application from NE ( business plan, CV, motivation ); 2. Application checked by IO ; 3. HE states interest to participate ( CV and motivation ); 4. File is checked by IO. 5. Admission to on - line catalogue How to apply ? : www. erasmus - entrepreneurs. eu

STEP 2: Searching & Matching 1. Entrepreneurs search for possible partners with tools in the on - line - catalogue 2. IOs contact other IOs in other contries to " recruite " a suitable Entrepreneur 3. Automatic matching by the computer based on profiles 4. Proposals are established

STEP 3: Contracting and preparation 1. Draft relationships are formed 2. Negotiations on duration, objectives and content 3. Agreement on " Committment document " 4. NE does pre - departure induction ; 5. NE receives a grant.

STEP 4: Stay abroad 1. Duration : 1-6 months ; 2. On - the - job training, work on concrete projects 3. On - site support provided to the NE by the Host IO ; 4. Reporting about the exchange.

STEP 5: Feedback and final payment 1. Electronic feedback questionnaiers for HE and NE 2. Final payment to NE upon sucessful completion 3. Re - insertion of HE into the catalogue ( if inter - ested to continue )

Main Actors Involved European Commission (EC) Support Office (SO) Intermediary Organisations (IOs) Host Entrepreneurs (HEs) New Entrepreneurs (NEs) 11

The 4 Steps of an Exchange Online Application Matching Contracting and preparation Stay abroad

B – Expected Output

Participation of around 700 New Entrepreneurs in the Programme Creation of new businesses and spin-offs Increase in international activities of entrepreneurs and companies Creation of new jobs Reduction in early failure rate More innovation in exisiting companies 14

C – Results

Feedback from New Entrepreneurs

Would you consider hosting another NE in the framework of this programme in the future? Feedback from Host Entrepreneurs

EYE Growth path ( based on completed relationships by YE ) YERelation- ships e1.820

2013 Call for Intermediary Organisations ( cycle 6)  Submission Deadline 9 July  5 Mio € budget available  91 proposals submitted  35 Mio € funding request  Following previous experiences not all proposals will fulfill the quality standards (2012 ca. 55% above ) Severe shortage of budget

D – Conclusions & Status

Achievements Sucessful proof of concept Excellent Feedback from both NE and HE Indications of direct effects on EU competitiveness Positive initial evaluation report Sound base to start into the future Direct answer to the youth unemployment problem

Info & Contacts Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs - General info http :// ec. europa. eu / enterprise / entrepreneurship / supp ort _ measures / erasmus Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs – Detailed info & Registration http :// www. erasmus - entrepreneurs. eu / entr - erasmus - ec. europa. eu erasmus - entrepreneurs. eu