After a 4-month period, a 115-hour asynchronous and a 35-hour synchronous training, the journey of the training programme of the WINBIZ: Women’s Innovative Business Incubation Zone European project, was completed for the 67 participating migrant women, residing in Greece, one of the six (6) project partner-countries (Greece, Portugal, Italy, Romania, North Macedonia and Germany). The training programme was part of the WINBIZ project deliverables, which was implemented by the DAISSy research group of the Hellenic Open University (HOU), as the Greek partner.

The WINBIZ business competition was the culmination of the completion of the training programme, where all trainees in the partner-countries, were invited to take part. More specifically and with regard to the WINBIZ activities in Greece, after applying for participation and receiving the extensive support of the trainers i.e. Elena Tzamouranou, Maria Britzolaki and Sofia Melissourgou, the contestants designed their business plans and presented their ideas on Monday 20th  May 2024, in a dedicated  online event through the zoom online platform.

Their hardships were many. The multiple roles (mother, wife, employee) and the stereotypical treatment they have been experiencing due to their migrant background, could have been an obstacle to the completion of this journey. However, in all the “obstacles” they saw business opportunities with multiple social benefits. Specially, Natalia, Irina, Sabrina, Vilma, Olesia, Kira, Ira and Kletia shared their entrepreneurial vision and the ways in which they aim to turn it into an innovative business with social impact, before a three-member jury, with representatives from DAISSy-HOU, InterMediaKT and MOSAIC, as follows:

• Adessa Zadia, Education & Youth Officer- InterMediaKT
• George Sarlis, Co-Founder- MOSAIC
• Konstantinos Potsis, Project Manager-DAISSy Research Group & Founder of iNNOVact Business Consultants

Subsequently, the jury evaluated the business ideas, based on criteria related to Innovation, Feasibility, Value Proposition, Target Market Analysis, Scalability, Resources-Budget Allocation, and Potential-Impact and selected the three (3) winning ideas, those of Vilma, Ira and Sabina & Irina.

It is noteworthy that the “prize” for the winners is their participation in a specially designed transnational business incubation workshop (WIZ-Women’s Incubation Zone), which will take place on 3-9 July 2024, in Bevagna (Italy). An additional twelve (12) migrant women from the other five WINBIZ project partner countries will participate in it, with the aim of receiving further entrepreneurial support and guidance not only from professional mentors, but also from female migrant role models, in the light of their successful entrepreneurial journey, in their countries of residence. The workshop is planned so as to coincide with the successful Social Ηackathon Umbria, and thus to give the opportunity to participate in it, also to the female migrants who will take part in the WINBIZ workshop.

DAISSy-HOU wishes to thank all the contributors of the above long journey in the WINBIZ project, especially the participating migrant women, as well as the organizations InterMediaKT, MOSAIC, Dock and iNNOVact Business Consultants, who supported the whole initiative.

It is noteworthy that the WINBIZ project focuses on business training and support for migrant women from non-EU countries with medium-high levels of education, aiming at the acquisition and development of personal, horizontal and specific skills, necessary for their full integration and reintegration into the European labour market, thus creating prosperity both for themselves and for the society they live in.

The WINBIZ is a three-year project co-funded by the ERASMUS+ European program and implemented by a consortium of six (6) partners representing six (6) European countries (Greece, Portugal, Italy, Romania, Republic of North Macedonia and Germany), with the DAISSy Research Group of the HOU, being the Greek partner.

For more information on the WINBIZ project, and other activities of DAISSy:

• Website: https://daissy.eu/, https://www.winbizproject.eu/
• Facebook: @DAISSyResearchGroup, @winbizproject
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daissyresearchgroup/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/winbizproject/
• Twitter: @daissy_research
• Instagram: @daissy_researchgroup
• Email: info@daissy.eap.gr