Enterprise Europe Network Brussels c/o hub.brussels is now involved in the EU-funded pilot project “EU-GIVE” which is committed to disseminate and raise extensive awareness of the potential of collaborative economy and prepare entrepreneurs to manage all the implications of the novelty that is has introduced.
Funded by the European Union, the EU-GIVE project is aiming at “Generating opportunities from Intangible assets and Value chains in the collaborative Economy in Europe”. Following an initiative from the European Parliament, this is a pilot project for only 2 years to develop and test potential new dedicated EEN non-financial support services for entrepreneurs from the collaborative economy (coaching and mentoring).
As defined in its Communication of 2016, for the European Commission, the term “collaborative economy” refers to business models where activities are facilitated by collaborative platforms that create an open marketplace for the temporary usage of goods or services often provided by private individuals. The collaborative economy involves three categories of actors: (i) service providers who share assets, resources, time and/or skills — these can be private individuals offering services on an occasional basis (‘peers’) or service providers acting in their professional capacity (“professional services providers”); (ii) users of these; and (iii) intermediaries that connect — via an online platform — providers with users and that facilitate transactions between them (‘collaborative platforms’). Collaborative economy transactions generally do not involve a change of ownership and can be carried out for profit or not-for-profit.”
The project is pursuing the following objectives:
- To raise extensive awareness of the potential of collaborative economy and of the novelty introduced
- To get the most of the opportunities offered by the collaborative economy, connecting them with key players and stakeholders as well as to successful initiatives
- To support SMEs, social enterprises, start-ups and potential entrepreneurs to take advantage from the availability of resources of information and expertise, boosting their responsiveness to the fast-growing collaborative market space.
EU-GIVE pool competences from partners from 6 countries :
These partners are also involved in the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN).
The involved EEN advisers will help SMEs, social enterprises, start-ups and potential entrepreneurs to get the most of the opportunities offered by the collaborative economy, connecting them with key players and stakeholders as well as to successful initiatives. They will provide training and coaching to enrich their business profile getting it adaptive to collaborative economy challenges and boosting their responsiveness to the market.
In the first phase of the project in the first half of 2019, we are preparing a mapping of enterprises based in the Brussels-Capital Region which would correspond to the target group of the project :
- SMEs and micro enterprises with high-growth potential and ability to benefit and contribute to the sharing economy
- Social enterprises which can take advantage from the exchange of assets in platforms and its social impact
- Traditional companies that could convert its business models into collaborative economy
- New entrepreneurs interested in collaborative economy-related business
The project also aimed at drawing from the expertise of the following stakeholders:
- Owners and managers of platforms
- Promoters of collaborative economy projects capable of disseminate the results of its activities
- Digital technologies experts
- Local authorities and decision makers capable to remove barriers to the consolidation of the sharing economy
- User groups to participate in open consultations to detect problems and needs
Interested? Get involved at the various stage of the project and check out the website of the project www.eugiveproject.eu
For Brussels-based organisations only : please contact your EEN adviser Camille Lépinay clepinay@hub.brussels
You can all follow us on social media with the hashtag #EU_GIVE
This project is co-financed by the European Union.
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