Enhancement of Entrepreneurship Capacities for Sustainable Socio-Economic Integration (ENHANCER) Project

The objective of ENHANCER project, which is funded by the European Union and implemented by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) in coordination with the Directorate General of Development Agencies under the Ministry of Industry and Technology of the Republic of Turkey, is to contribute to the inclusion of Syrians Under Temporary Protection in Turkey to the Local Host Communities through livelihood and employment opportunities.

  • To increase entrepreneurial activity of Syrians under Temporary Protection and Host Communities by providing an enabling environment and support in creation of new products and markets
  • To consider local entrepreneurial ecosystems as the most effective and inclusive ecosystems for Host Communities and Syrians under Temporary Protection
  • To improve the policy making and the coordination of the policy implementation at the national level
  • To increase employment opportunities of the Syrians under Temporary Protection and local host communities through strengthening the per-formance of the market operators
  • Improvement of entrepreneurship and private sector contribution
  •  Development of Policy and Management Framework
  •  Communication Management and Outreach for the Target Groups
  • Local Common Use Facilities  

6 Million €

Min. 15, max. 24 Projects between 100,000-300,000 €

Transformation of existing structures such as technocities, technoparks, entrepreneurship centres, OIZs

  • Grant Scheme for Entrepreneurs      

3.125 Million €    

Min. 625, max. 3125 Projects between 1000-5000 €

 Start-Ups and New Ventures

  •  Grants for Establishing Entrepreneurial Ecosystems

3 Million €

Min. 75, max. 100 Projects between 10.000-30.000 €

Ecosystems organisations such as the relevant public institutions, entrepreneurship centres, technocities, OIZs, business NGOs

  • Grants for employment opportunities

5 Million €

Approx. 85 Institutions

SMEs and cooperatives

Main Project Components

Determining missions and strategies considering current situation and capabilities

    1. Exploration of the local entrepreneurial eco-systems in the first eight months of implementation
    2. Identification of target products and services at the local level
    3. Definition of local common use facilities as local entrepreneurial hubs

Answering three critical questions to this end

    1. What needs to be done to improve the ecosystem?
    2. Which ones are promising among tradable goods and services?
    3. How and where can we transform entrepreneurship?

Developing capacities of the target groups together with the local and national level beneficiaries through customized intervention models

    1. Capacity development of institutions on migration sensitive entrepreneurship policies
    2. Improvement of professional skills of Syrians under Temporary Protection and Host Communities in line with the target products and services
    3. Development of migration sensitive mentorship mechanisms for entrepreneurs
    4. Development of a management model for each type of common use facilities
    5. Definition of communication strategies

Matching entrepreneurs through collaboration and alternative finance

    1. Entrepreneur matching events for fostering collaboration
    2. Establishment of sustainable financing and fund-raising mechanisms

Supporting the entrepreneurs via financial and institutional means

    1. Local Support programmes for Common Use Facilities
    2. Support programmes for start-ups and entrepreneurial initiatives
    3. Local support programmes for local institutions, supporting 75 to 100 institutions   
    4. Technical support for implementation, monitoring and evaluation of support programmes

Sustaining a favourable national and local level policy to create an enabling ecosystem

    1. Facilitation of policy, progress and recommendation forums
    2. Establishment of a self-functional mechanism for effective local eco-systems around local councils
    3. Execution of a collaborative marketing approach

Development of employment creation capacities of local stakeholders through grant programs in Istanbul, Izmir, Bursa, Mersin, Kayseri and Konya provinces  

  1. Supporting SMEs that can create job opportunities, are financially sustainable and have growth potential
  2. Supporting Cooperatives that can contribute to the employment of target groups
  • Trainings
  • Policy Development
  • Grants:
    • Establishment of local common use facilities
    • Local Institutions
    • Start-ups, SMEs and cooperatives
  • € 32,502,249.00 

    11 target provinces: İstanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Bursa, Gaziantep, Adana, Mersin, Konya, Şanlıurfa, Kayseri ve Hatay

  • Training Service for Potential Entrepreneurs (2.2)

The procurement includes a two-stage training for potential entrepreneurs: (i) Basic Entrepreneurial Skills – 2500 participants (ii) professional skills for target products and services – 2500 participants, to be determined separately for each region. The trainings will be organised in the regions.

  • Communication Strategy Service (5.4)

The project will develop a specific communication strategy to mobilise target groups and institutions with an aim to prevent any potential animosity between Syrians under Temporary Protection and the Host Community and achieve success in a general sense in the project.

  • Digital Platform Setup (3.2)

The Digital Platform is designed to include the following functions: mentoring mechanism, follow-up & scanning of interns and start-ups, ensuring promotion of local products and their access to the market (ready-made garments value chain pilot implementation) and promotion of projects, business ideas, alternative funding initiatives (2.2, 2.3, 3.1, 3.2, 4.2)

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