WPDI France in the EU CONNECT Project for Inclusive Entrepreneurship
WPDI France is proud to join the CONNECT project, an ambitious European initiative aimed at strengthening support for migrant entrepreneurs and fostering more inclusive economic ecosystems across North-West Europe. Coordinated by the Institute for Work and Technology (IAT), CONNECT runs for 36 months and is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the Interreg North-West Europe program.
Although migrant entrepreneurs start businesses significantly more often than the national population, they are still too often unable to realise their full potential due to fragmented support systems, limited access to finance, and structural discrimination. As a result, rural areas and regions facing population decline miss out on key drivers of innovation, job creation, and local development.
CONNECT addresses this challenge by moving beyond isolated start-up support schemes towards a structural, ecosystem-based approach. Its objective is to systematically align local and regional infrastructures with the specific needs of migrant-owned businesses. The project is implemented across several regions in North-West Europe, including Bremen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Île-de-France, West Flanders, Wallonia, Northern and Western Ireland, South Holland, and Overijssel.
The project combines comprehensive mapping of regional support ecosystems with comparative analysis and transnational co-creation. This work will result in a “Joint Strategy for Inclusive Migrant Entrepreneurship Support in North-West Europe,” designed to strengthen the contribution of migrant-owned businesses to labour market, innovation, and social cohesion policies.
At the core of CONNECT is a Train-the-Trainer programme, which equips professionals from public authorities, business support organisations, start-up support services, and NGOs with key competencies in access to finance, network building, anti-discrimination practices, and mentoring. A transnational Community of Practice will further support knowledge exchange and ensure the long-term sustainability of the project’s outcomes.
In addition, the project will deliver a practical action plan, “ConnectAction,” providing concrete and transferable steps to build more inclusive support ecosystems. Program graduates will act as multipliers within their regions, helping to scale up impact at the local level.
Learn more about the CONNECT partnership at https://www.nweurope.eu/