Creating “Circular Business” by young ENGINEers at the cross-border area of Greece-Bulgaria

Acronym	ENGINE-HUBs
Project Number – MIS	5071317
Priority axis	1 - A Competitive and Innovative Cross-Border Area
Investment priorities	3a - Promoting entrepreneurship, in particular by facilitating the economic exploitation of new ideas and fostering the creation of new firms, including through business incubators
Intervention fields	066. Advanced support services for SMEs and groups of SMEs (including management, marketing and design services)
Call	6th CALL FOR PROJECT PROPOSALS
Lead Beneficiary	TECHNICAL CHAMBER OF GREECE/SECTION OF CENTRAL MACEDONIA
Beneficiaries	CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY GOTSE DELCHEV CHAMBER OF ENGINEERS IN INVESTMENT DESIGN FEDERATION OF INDUSTRIES OF NORTH GREECE
Start Date	Jan 01, 2021
End Date	Nov 07, 2023
Budget	487.773,49 €
ERDF Contribution	414.607,47 €
National Contribution	73.166,02 €
Website	https://www.engine-hubs.eu/

The project aims to identify and apply synergies and complementariness in the production line of the 2 regions and to turn an economic activity’s waste into materials for others through the establishment of “circular enterprises” . ENGINE-HUBs will make it easier for both CB regions to start collaborating and developing jointly circular production lines. The project’s approach and joint assets (workforce) is to identify business opportunities in the area of circular economy and to create a structure through which business ideas of young scientists will be transformed into businesses in the CBC area. The structure will deliver a new business approach to enhance youth entrepreneurship building on three pillars: knowledge, mentoring/ coaching and networking. Project’s comparative advantage is the connection of the scientific workforce with the market through its partnership. It is worth noticing that the project focuses on the provision of assistance through 4 HUBs to the new entrepreneurs for the implementation of their business plans and not only the development of these plans so that the new enterprises can be operative before project’s ending or 2 years after at the latest.

Downloads

Project Leaflet_EN / GR / BG
D.2.1.5_Final Conference_presentations_EN.GR

D.4.2.1_Gap Analysis in the sectors of circular economy _EN
D.4.4.1_GAP analysis_Gotse Delchev_BG
D.4.4.1_Market & GAP analysis in the sectors of cicular economy_BG
D.4.2.1_Market Analysis in the sectors of circular economy _EN
D.4.3.1_Market & GAP Analysis_Blagoevgrad_BG (EN abstr)

D.3.1.3_ENGINE-HUBs_ E-platform_GR / BG

D.4.3.4_ENGINE Academy_BG (EN abstr) (LINK)
ENGINE Academy_Training material_BG
ENGINE Academy_Training material_Circular Economy_GR
D.4.4.4_ENGINE Academy_Training material_BG

D.4.3.3_Competition and Awards for new BG entrepreneurs_winners_EN
D.4.4.3_Competition of business ideas_BG
D.4.1.3_Competition & Awards for new entrepreneurs_GR
D.5.2.1_Portfolio with business ideas developed_EN

D.3.1.2_Establishment & Operation of ENGINE-HUBs
The ENGINE-HUB of Lead Beneficiary, TEE-TKM, was established in July of 2022 in the first floor of the building of TEE/TKM (Τechnical Chamber of Greece/ Section of Central Macedonia) in Avenue Megalou Alexandrou 49 in Thessaloniki. The main scope of establishment of the hub is to provide assistant to the new entrepreneurs, engineers and also other relevant scientists familiar with circular economy, for the implementation of their business plans and the development of these plans, so that the new enterprises can be operative before project's ending or 2 years after. Τhe Engine Hub was created in order to provide knowledge, training, mentoring/coaching and networking to the participants of the program, who are engineers and also other relevant scientists familiar with circular economy, who live in Thessaloniki, Serres, Kavala and Drama.

D.3.2.2_Establishment & Operation of ENGINE-HUBs
The ENGINE-HUB of PB2-SBE, was established in September of 2022 at the premises of the Federation of Industries of Greece (26th September 21, Thessaloniki, Greece).

D.3.3.2_Establishment & Operation of ENGINE-HUBs
The newly established HUB is located in the central part of the city of Blagoevgrad on "Arsenii Kostentsev" street in the landmark "Kupola" building owned by the municipality of Blagoevgrad and is right next to the central square "Georgi Izmirliev - Makedonche". It has a room for conference calls and training, as well as two work rooms for assigned staff. It's aim is to provide assistance to entrepreneurs, not only in the circular economy sector, but also in other sectors such as digital transformation, energy, smart cities, RES, etc. , as well as to provide training activities to develop business skills ie. business marketing,

D.3.4.2_Operation of the Engine-Hubs
The Engine-Hub was established in the mid of 2023, in the office of the Chamber of the Industry and Commerce of Gotse Delchev, to operate as a place where young people from the cross-border region of Gotse Delchev may come and share their business and entrepreneur ideas and may get help and support by the Chamber of industry and commerce employees and volunteers. The Hub is established to serve as a connector between the business network and the entrepreneurs from the region.