16. 5. 2017 | Albania - Local Governments, PR, Slovenian Development Assistance
In the framework of the project ‘Assistance to Albanian municipalities in the preparation of the EU and other international projects’ between 23 and 26 May 2017 Centre for European Perspective (CEP) will conduct the second workshop in Tirana. The workshop is continuation of the first workshop that was held in April in Albanian Vlora. Same participants will continue with the preparation of their project ideas.
In the four weeks that have passed since the first workshop the participants prepared a logical frameworks for their project ideas. The logical frameworks were submitted to the trainers who have checked them and will continue to work on them with the participants next week. The main objective of the second workshop is that each group of participants prepare an outline of the project proposal that could successfully compete on a concrete call.
CEP is preparinga training in cooperation with the Balkan Center for Cooperation and Development (BCCD), the American development agency USAID and the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Tirana.
The project is part of the CEP program activities financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the scope of international development cooperation.
12. 5. 2017 | BIH - Entrepreneurs, Kosovo - Entrepreneurs, PR, Slovenian Development Assistance
Centre for European Perspective hosted a group of young entrepreneurs for a three-day training in the field of entrepreneurship and transfer of good practices from Slovenia. The participants visited Maribor, Jable Castle and Ljubljana and had a chance to get to know Slovenian entrepreneurial ecosystem and existing start-up initiatives.
We hosted 40 young entrepreneurs from the Western Balkans, 10 start-up teams from Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and 10 from Kosovo at the PODIM Conference, one of the leading start-up meetings in the region. They were selected on the basis of the PODIM Challenge call that initially received more than 70 entrepreneurial ideas, 48 from Kosovo and 27 from BiH. Young entrepreneurs had to present their idea, team and business plan. Among over 200 start-ups from Slovenia and the region, two teams from BiH, AOX Earth and Koola, got into the semi-finals where 20 best start-up ideas pitched in front of the experts and investors.
Participants had a chance to listen to the inspiring and content-rich speeches and workshops, delivered by serial start-upers, investors, initiators from all four corners of the world. They met with the investors through one-on-one meetings, they widened their horizons at the consulting and coaching sessions and discussed their ideas with the young people with a similar entrepreneurial mindset.
The last day of the training was devoted to the wrap-up session at Jable castle. Participants discussed their experience at the conference and addressed the potentials of cooperation inside their home countries and among the countries of the Western Balkans. Urban Lapajne from Start:up Slovenija initiative talked about the Slovenian experience of the country-wide cooperation and coordination between the incubators, universities, technological parks. In BiH and Kosovo, there is no such coordination platform, which is why the idea was discussed with our young participants. The need for such cooperation was supported also by Ana Anžej from SAŠA Inkubator and Start:up Slovenia. The representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Peter Grk and Alenka Košir discussed Slovenian and EU efforts in the Balkans and the Positive Agenda for Youth in the Western Balkans. In conclusion, the participants visited the ABC Accelerator where they got a chance to present their idea in 1 minute and got a professional pitching feedback from the experienced ABC Team.
The project is part of our program activities, financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Slovenia in the framework of Slovenia’s development cooperation.
28. 4. 2017 | BIH - Entrepreneurs, Kosovo - Entrepreneurs, PR, Slovenian Development Assistance
For the third year in a row, Centre for European Perspective (CEP) is enablingouth from the region to attend the leading start-up meeting in the region with an international dimension, PODIM Conference. The project started three years ago in the framework of Slovenia’s development cooperation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and spread its scope to Kosovo last year.
During the project, young entrepreneurs from BiH and Kosovo prepare their entrepreneurial idea, improve it during the preparation phase in which a workshop takes place in Sarajevo and Prishtina, and then present it in their application through which we choose the best ten proposals per country.
Our experience show that the workshops that are organized in the recipient countries in the spring, contribute to the quality and quantity of the applications. The workshops proved to be useful as the entrepreneurial applications tend to be better year by year, which can also be seen in the ratio of the start-ups that are presented in the Start-up catalogue of PODIM Conference. The catalogue is prepared for the investors that attend the conference and raises awareness about the quality of the start-ups that are present throughout the conference. Among the participants of the conference, one third consists of investors, one third of start-ups and one third of bigger corporations from the region, seeking for corporate partnerships. PODIM Conference will take place on 10 and 11 May in Maribor, Slovenia. Our selected participants will participate at the conference, take part in the PODIM Challenge, present their ideas in the PODIM Start-up catalogue and be able to meet investors and potential partners at the one-on-one meetings.
This year, we received 27 applications from BiH and a record number, 48 from Kosovo. The commission, consisting of the experts in the field of start-up sector, assessed the ideas and invited the best 10 teams from BiH and the best 10 from Kosovo. CEP’s role is to enable the teams to select two team members who get the transportation, accommodation, ticket to the PODIM Conference, transfer around Slovenia and an additional day of training at the Jable Castle free of charge.
At the Jable Castle, young participants get to hear more about Slovenian start-up environment. This year they will listen to the representatives of the Start:up Slovenija team, that represents an association on the national level – a concept of start-up cooperation that is yet unknown in BiH and Kosovo. Positive Agenda for Youth in the Western Balkans will be presented by the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a broader discussion will be established on the topic of their experiences, needs, expectations and challenges that they face in their home countries in the field of youth entrepreneurship. The 3-day project will conclude in Ljubljana, where the participants will visit the ABC Accelerator, get to know their vision and work and get information about their projects in the Balkans.
We widen participants’ knowledge about entrepreneurship and give them an insight into the process of development of the project from the initial idea to the launch and potential founding of their own company, which is one of potential approaches to addressing the issue of unemployment and underemployment in the wider region. Youngsters get an opportunity to meet potential investors and corporate partners and last but not least, the entrepreneurs with the same mindset and entrepreneurial enthusiasm, which is the key to the further cooperation that can transcend the state borders in the region of Western Balkans.
The project is part of our program activities, financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Slovenia in the framework of Slovenia’s development cooperation.
21. 4. 2017 | Albania - Local Governments, PR, Slovenian Development Assistance
This week Centre for European Perspective (CEP) conducts the first workshop this year in the framework of the project ‘Assistance to Albanian municipalities in the preparation of the EU and other international projects’ in Albanian Vlorë.
The training is attended by 27 representatives of local and regional authorities as well as representatives of central public institutions and non-governmental organizations which design and implement projects at the operational level. The workshop started on 18th April with a networking event, followed by the official opening with presentation of project ideas on 19th April. Slovenian trainers, Slavka Zupan and Dimitrij Pur and their Albanian counterpart Elvana Zhezha guide the participants through the whole workshop, starting with the (EU) funding opportunities for Albania and the complete project cycle, from identification, formulation and financing of the project. The workshop will finish today. The second session of this workshop will follow in May 2017.
The project initially started in 2012 with a focus on strengthening the capacities of the Albanian Institutions for disbursement of funds from Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA). Training of Albanian representatives was carried out as a study visit at the CEP premises at Jable castle. Since then, CEP has conducted 8 workshops on project preparation for civil servants. Last year’s follow up on training shows, that 71 project applications were submitted with 27 projects awarded (these figures are from December 2016).
CEP is implementing the workshop in cooperation with the Balkan Center for Cooperation and Development (BCCD), PLGP project of USAID and the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Tirana.
The project is part of the CEP program activities financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the scope of international development cooperation.
10. 4. 2017 | Albania - Local Governments, PR, Slovenian Development Assistance
In the framework of the project ‘Assistance to Albanian municipalities in the preparation of the EU and other international projects’ between 18 and 21 April 2017 Centre for European Perspective (CEP) will conduct the first workshop in Albanian Vlora.
The first workshop is intended to present a variety of financing options, the whole project cycle and project design. Particular emphasis will be placed on project design whereas Slovenian experts will share their experiences in the preparation and implementation of such projects. The workshop will be attended by representatives of the Albanian municipalities, regional development agencies and regional youth centres. In the workshop, participants will present their own project ideas as well and with Slovenian experts they will look for possibilities for their realization. The second workshop within the above mentioned project will take place in May.
CEP is preparing a training in cooperation with the Balkan Center for Cooperation and Development (BCCD), the American development agency USAID and the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Tirana.
The project is part of the CEP program activities financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the scope of international development cooperation.
Napoved: CEP z delavnico za pripravo EU in drugih projektov za predstavnike albanskih občin
Center za evropsko prihodnost (CEP) bo v okviru projekta ‘Pomoč albanskim občinam na področju priprave EU in drugih mednarodnih projektov’ med 18. in 21. aprilom 2017 v albanski Vlori izvedel prvo delavnico.
Prva delavnica je namenjena predstavitvi različnih možnosti financiranja, razumevanju in izvajanju projektnega cikla ter zasnovi projektov. Poseben poudarek bo namenjen zasnovi projektov, slovenski strokovnjaki pa bodo ob tem predstavili konkretne izkušnje s pripravami in prijavljanjem tovrstnih projektov. Delavnice se bodo udeležili predstavniki albanskih občin, razvojnih agencij in regionalnih mladinskih centrov. V okviru delavnice bodo udeleženci predstavili tudi lastne projektne ideje in s strokovnjaki iskali možnosti za njihovo uresničitev. Nadaljevanje usposabljanja bo potekalo z drugo delavnico v mesecu maju.
CEP pripravlja usposabljanje v sodelovanju z Balkanskim centrom za sodelovanje in razvoj (BCCD), ameriško razvojno agencijo USAID in Veleposlaništvom RS v Tirani.
Projekt je del programskih aktivnosti CEP, ki jih financira Ministrstvo za zunanje zadeve iz sredstev za mednarodno razvojno sodelovanje.
31. 3. 2017 | BIH - Entrepreneurs, Kosovo - Entrepreneurs, PR, Slovenian Development Assistance
On Wednesday, March 29, CEP organized a workshop for young entrepreneurs from Kosovo. The event was organized in the Innovation Centre Kosovo in order to promote our project that enables 20 youngsters to attend PODIM Conference. It is the leading regional start-up conference, where 800 people of various backgrounds convene – big corporations, start-ups, investors and others.
The workshop attracted a number of young entrepreneurs, who want to launch their own start-up and embrace their entrepreneurial idea. The executive director of CEP dr. Gorazd Justinek presented the source of financing for the project and explained the framework of Slovenia’s Development Cooperation funds, devoted also to job creation and youth development in the region.
Representative of PODIM Conference Matej Rus introduced the leading start-up event in Slovenia and in the region and presented the speakers, moderators, investors and mentors that participated in the previous years and mentioned a couple of names from this year’s itineration. He briefed young Kosovo entrepreneurs about the PODIM Challenge, through which 10 best entrepreneurial ideas will be selected and 20 participants from Kosovo will be awarded with transportation, accommodation and participation at the conference free of charge as a result of cooperation between CEP and PODIM.
ABC Accelerator representative Milan Lazarevič presented the accelerator that supports the start-ups in Slovenia from the very first phase of development through an intermediary phase in Germany and then the latter stages in Silicon Valley. Young entrepreneurs had numerous questions about the conference and the challenge and the speakers were able to give them advise about the application process, presentation of the ideas and pitching in front of the investors.
The workshop followed a similar workshop that we organized in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina on 22 March.
The project is part of our program activities, financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Slovenia in the framework of Slovenia’s development cooperation.
Kosovski podjetniki v pripravah na iskanje investicij v Sloveniji
V sredo, 29. marca, se je v Prištini v Innovation Centre Kosovo odvila delavnica za mlade podjetnike s Kosova, katere namen je promocija projekta preko katerega Center za evropsko prihodnost pomaga 20 mladim, da se udeležijo konference PODIM. Gre za vodilno regionalno konferenco za start-upe, kjer se sreča okoli 800 ljudi iz različnih okolij – velike korporacije, start-upi, investitorji in ostali zainteresirani.
Na dogodku se je zbralo veliko število mladih bodočih podjetnikov, ki želijo ustvariti svoj start-up in se podati na pot podjetništva. Direktor CEP dr. Gorazd Justinek je izpostavil, da se celoten projekt izvaja v okviru Razvojnega sodelovanje Republike Slovenije, kjer so mladi in ustvarjanje novih delovnih mest ključna dejavnika.
Predstavnik konference Podim Matej Rus je predstavil osrednji start-up dogodek v Sloveniji in regiji ter izpostavil govorce, moderatorje, investitorje ter mentorje, ki so se v preteklih letih konference udeležili ter nekatere, ki so že potrdili sodelovanje v letu 2017. Kosovske mlade podjetnike so seznanili s prijavo na PODIM Challenge, preko katerega se mladi lahko potegujejo za tridnevni paket, ki vključuje kritje stroškov prevoza, nastanitve in participacije na konferenci PODIM. Udeleženci morajo prijavo podati do konca meseca marca, izbranih pa bo 10 najboljših projektnih predlogov oziroma mladih start-up podjetij.
Predstavnik ABC pospeševalnika Milan Lazarevič je predstavil delo njihove organizacije, ki podpira start-upe vse od začetne faze v Sloveniji, preko napredne v Nemčiji do zrele faze v Silicijevi dolini.
V razpravi so mladi predstavnike iz Slovenije s številnimi konkretnimi vprašanji, predstavniki pa so podali odgovore in napotke glede prijave na izziv, predstavitve ideje ter predstavitve podjetniške zasnove pred investitorji.
Delavnica je sledila podobnemu dogodku, ki ga je CEP izvajal 22. marca v Sarajevu v Bosni in Hercegovini.
Projekt je del programskih aktivnosti CEP, ki jih financira Ministrstvo za zunanje zadeve Republike Slovenije iz sredstev za mednarodno razvojno sodelovanje.
