Meeting with the new Associates of CluBE at the Department of Visual and Applied Arts of the University of Western Macedonia in Florina

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The meeting with the new partners of the Bioeconomy and Environment Cluster (CluBE) in Florina, which aimed to inform them about the BeCircular project, was successfully completed. The meeting took place on 30/03/2023 at the new branch of CluBE, which is located in the premises of the Department of Visual and Applied Arts of the University of Western Macedonia in Florina.

At the meeting the new partners were informed about the progress of the project, what it has achieved so far and what are the final goals to be meet as the BeCircular project moves towards its final course. The needs of the implementation of the program, the definition of the tasks of the new partners and the intention of the whole team for a smooth and productive collaboration were discussed in detail with great interest.

You can see photos below:

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Opening of the New Center for Entrepreneurship and Creativity located at the Faculty of Economics in Prilep

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The Center was established within the framework of the BeCircular project (Boosting Employment through Entrepreneurship in Circular Economy), which is funded by the Cross-Border Cooperation (IPA CBC) program of the European Union. Organizations from the Republic of North Macedonia and Greece participate in the project. The E&C Center was created by the Research and Analysis Association – ZMAI, as part of the project activities.

The inauguration of the Center took place on March 23, 2023 and it is now open to the public and to those who are interested in visiting, getting to know and using its new facilities.

“Υoung people from both countries can now work together, exchanging ideas and knowledge thus promoting the concepts of Entrepreneurship of the creative industries, the Circular Economy and the Bioeconomy. These sectors offer new opportunities for the development of “green” business models. They could mean the opening of new jobs for the local population, as well as the creation of new businesses that can provide additional economic activities to the local economy” said Viktor Mitevski, President of the Association for Research and Analysis ZMAI.

The Rector of the University, Prof. Dr. Igor Nedelkovski, emphasized the importance of such projects for students. According to him, investments in Entrepreneurship and Circular Economy always have a positive impact on communities. This concerns both the economic and financial side, as well as the ecological and green entrepreneurship side. The Rector added that students and young entrepreneurs will use the new center to develop advanced ideas. According to him, it is very likely that the next big startup in Pelagonia will come from these areas.

Ιt is worth noting that at the opening of the new center, co-financed by the Ministry of Local Self-Government, the Minister, Risto Penov, gave a speech.

The Dean of the Faculty of Economics in Prilep, Prof. Dr. Dragica Odzaklieska, also gave a speech at the event and emphasized that the school is proud to have such a center on its premises.

She continued by adding “The center is fully aligned with the iconic building of the School of Economics. The areas of entrepreneurship and innovation will have the opportunity to grow and give space to students and professors to develop new ideas and expand their knowledge. As an educational and scientific institution, the School of Economics in Prilep will be able to offer a space to all current and future entrepreneurs. The development of concepts related to Circular Economy and Bioeconomy is the future of the entire Economy and we are proud to be part of the initiative”.

The Center for Entrepreneurship and Creativity should become a place where students and young entrepreneurs from Pelagonia region in the Republic of North Macedonia will develop their ideas and create conditions for the development of the local economy. Young entrepreneurs will finally have their own space in Prilep where they can create, socialize, and innovate together.

You can see photos from the opening below:

 

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Startapp.mk is up

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The new e-learning platform, Startapp.mk is now active. As part of the BeCircular project, a new e-learning platform, adapted to the needs of high school students in Pelagonia, was created. The platform provides a digital approach to educational material, Business Canvas and Lean Methodology, offering interactive content such as: training videos, practical assignments, digital business model canvas, teamwork opportunities, quizzes and presentations. In addition, the platform has a forum aimed at sharing knowledge and ideas between students and teachers.

The content of the platform is designed to help teachers prepare interactive courses for businesses so that they get to know innovation techniques while using this digital tool. Startapp.mk is a great learning tool for anyone interested in starting their own business, helping users to start their entrepreneurial journey with innovative approaches and develop their business model.

It is worth noting that the online platform is part of the BeCircular project’s efforts to support citizens living in the cross-border region, especially young people, by teaching them the basics of business development. The aim is to create better working conditions for young people and boost employment, with particular emphasis on innovative business models in the field of the Green Economy. The project including the e-learning platform is supported by the EU funds of Interreg – IPA CBC as part of the project BeCircular – Boosting Employment through Entrepreneurship in Circular Economy.

In conclusion, the project primarily focuses on creating employment opportunities for graduates by exploiting the comparative advantages of the cross-border connection between Greece and the Republic of North Macedonia.

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Teaching the teachers

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The Association of young entrepreneurs and researchers – ZMAI and the team conducted a training session for entrepreneurship teachers in Pelagonia region, as part of the BeCircular – IPA CBC project. The training’s online introduction day was the 19th of December of 2022, while physical trainings took place on 21st and 22nd December at Prilep (Faculty of Economics). Furthermore, the online trainings for the platform and the teaching plans for the second semester of the school year were conducted on the 26th and 27th January.

The training was held in order to help the participants understand the fields of entrepreneurship and apprehend a start-up methodology. The presentation started with a new innovative way of how the expertise of entrepreneurship can be taught in schools. The main goal was to introduce a more practical and educational approach in which the students will pry the process of making their own start-up and understand the know-how while learning.

14 teachers from almost all schools in Pelagonia region participated in the training, including the cities of Bitola, Prilep, Resen, and Demir Hisar.
All the participants went through a practice business model scheme with a well skilled trainer and have been trained on how to interview clients and seek potential business ideas.

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The training took place in the Faculty of Economics, the location where a new entrepreneurship and creative center will be established as part of this project. It worths mentioning that after the in-person trainings in Prilep, online trainings were held for the teachers to get to know the new e-learning platform, start-app.mk, which they can use during their classes. The platform consists of presentations, videos, a digital business canvas and short quizzes. At the last part of the training, the teachers were asked to engrave their teaching plans and encourage their students to join the platform and create groups for e-learning. Αt the completion of the physical training all the participants had to integrate the knowledge into their regular curriculum.

The BeCircular project seeks to develop the innovative and entrepreneurial spirit among young people, helping them create new job opportunities and decrease unemployment. The strategic location between Greece and EU cooperatively with the BeCircular project can give a further development and progress to the region and can be a good starting point for a better and a greener future.

 

2nd Periodic Meeting of BECircular Project

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The 2nd Periodic Meeting of BECircular project was held in Prilep on the 23.02.2023, in the Entrepreneurship and Creative center in the Faculty of Economics of the University of Prilep.
In the framework of the meeting, 12 participants from all 4 project partners had the opportunity to meet in person, introduce new project team members, participating in the project, agree on how to work together effectively, consolidate the project background as well as its requirements, as well as to meet in person and discuss with representatives of the Joint Secretariat.
Specifically, each partner held a presentation of all Work Packages (WPs) in relation to activities, implemented so far, potential deviations and corrective measures and activities foreseen in the next 6 months.
In conclusion, all partners agreed that the project’s implementation is on schedule concerning the project scope and deliverables. However, a 1-month extension has been requested in agreement with the Joint Secretariat to achieve higher participation rates related to the final event in September 2023.
You can see bellow some meeting photos:

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Opening of the new Center for Entrepreneurship and Creativity in Prilep

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The President of the Association for Research and Analysis ZMAI invites everyone to the Opening of the new Center for Entrepreneurship and Creativity in Prilep.

The event will take place at the new center on March 23rd, 2023, at 11:00 am
The E&C center is a part of the BeCircular project, which aims to boost employment through entrepreneurship in the circular economy. The project is funded by the Interreg IPA CBC Programme “Greece – Republic of North Macedonia 2014-2020” and is designed to provide young people in cross-border areas with the knowledge, tools, and physical capacities needed to create more entrepreneurial possibilities and give back to the societies they live in.
The Entrepreneurship and Creativity Center that is now part of the Faculty of Economics in Prilep will become a hub where students and young entrepreneurs from both neighboring countries can develop their entrepreneurial ideas and contribute to the development of local economies.

These projects will continue to provide better local development and lead to better cross-border cooperation, as well as promoting stronger EU values.

We are looking forward to meet you in person.

E&C Opening Invitation

BECircular – 5-day “train the trainers” workshop on Bioeconomy

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Within the framework of the predetermined activities related to the successful implementation of the BECircular project, a 5-day “train the trainers” workshop on Bioeconomy was organized and implemented.

In the first part of the interactive workshop, started in Kozani between 24 and 25 November 2022, CluBE having the role of the trainer covered the introductory theoretical part combining it with an event in the city’s central square, related to the European Week for Waste Reduction. In the context of this event, the partners gathered in the city’s central square to witness some actions towards climate neutrality, recycling and citizens’ engagement.

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The first part of the workshop completed some days later, on 12.12.2022, in Amyntaio, where the partners met in a hybrid form. The partners had the opportunity to visit DETEPA’s facilities (the municipal district heating company of Amyntaio) that covers the whole biomass supply chain, using biomass to heat its district heating network, and its operation is an ideal example to move from theory to practice.

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The second part of the workshop took place remotely (videoconference) between 19 and 20 January 2023 and provided the trainers with detailed information related to EU and national projects on bioeconomy that CluBE is implementing. The workshop ended with a wrap-up discussion summarizing all the activities.

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Press Release – Supply of three electric vehicles for the BeCircular project

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As part of the project “Boosting Employment through Entrepreneurship in Circular Economy – BeCircular” which is funded by the Interreg IPA Cross-border Cooperation Program “Greece – Republic of North Macedonia 2014-2020” (85% European Union, 15% National Funds), DIADYMA SA was reinforced with three modern electric vehicles with 300 kg of useful load. The total cost amounts to 42,000 euros plus VAT.

With the addition of the three electric vehicles, the efficiency of DIADYMA will increase in matters of waste prevention and reuse, drastically improving the daily operation of the Center for Creative Reuse of Materials. The vehicles will transport items for re-use to and from Center for Creative Reuse of Materials improving their interconnection.

DIADYMA implements the plan to modernize its services, contributing decisively to the protection of the environment and to the services provided to citizens, as well as to their awareness of reuse issues by essentially transforming the Center for Creative Reuse of Materials into Repair and Reuse Center.

The BECircular project is based on concepts of circular economy to create jobs for young engineers, scientists, artists and technicians, further training and preparing the young population to operate as entrepreneurs utilizing skills and knowledge of higher education. More specifically, using the know-how acquired in previous projects, which explored the potential of the bioeconomy in the region, as well as recording waste and waste that could be upgraded by repair and reuse, BECircular aims to seize this opportunity with the establishment and operation of Reuse and Entrepreneurship Centers in Florina and Pelagonia. By upgrading state-of-the-art technology to Circular Economy platforms linked to jobs, employment, and sustainable business models, BECircular will seek to provide a way out of unemployment and low-paying jobs for young people by supporting the creation of new employment opportunities in the cross-border area.

Read the Press Release on the DIADYMA website here

BECircular – 5-day “train the trainers” workshop on Entrepreneurship

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Within the framework of the activities of BECircular project, a 5-day “Train the Trainers” workshop was organized and implemented in Bitola, between 14 – 15 – 16 and 19 – 20 December 2022.

The workshop completed successfully. ZMAI and their partners, having the role of the trainers, delivered a high-quality intense training seminar on the two basic concepts of the project. The foundations were laid for a more in-depth analysis to be made in the future regarding the Reuse–Repair and the Biomass Centre.

It was a great experience for all the participants!

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Building a movement: How Emerging Leaders are shaping a circular economy

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How do we transform our linear, “take-make-waste” economic and cultural system into one that safely and equitably uses the resources it has?

In many ways, everyone is still learning how to effectively make that change. It’s no small, easy shift. Sure, it means eating less meat and saying no to plastic straws. But it also involves a renewable energy system that’s affordable for homeowners and renters; a food system that emits less carbon and methane than it creates while ethically treating farmers, workers and animals; and a waste management system capable of helping companies and cities take meaningful action on single-use plastic and packaging.

Do you want to find out more? Click here