The project established three communities of practice (CoPs) which during three years shared information and knowledge and disseminated good practice on three areas that are key to supporting migrant entrepreneurship in the short to medium term:
- Coaching and mentoring (led by Social Impact gGmbH, Berlin)
- Microfinance (led by THUAS-FINE, The Hague)
- Professionalisation of migrant entrepreneurs’ associations and diversity management in chambers of commerce (led by UNITEE, Brussels)
The CoPs were open to all organisations supporting migrant entrepreneurs.
They operated continually via online fora and other tools as well as meeting physically (a) at the annual conferences of the whole project; and (b) at workshops arranged on the margins of other events as appropriate to their theme (including events organised by the partner organisations and by the COSME sibling projects).
Knowledge was disseminated through the project website, publications and presentations at relevant events.
The project’s principal working language will be English, but other languages will be used where this is relevant and feasible.
The project’s immediate target group includes migrant entrepreneurship support schemes and organisations, financial institutions supporting migrant entrepreneurs (including microfinance and ethical banks), public authorities, especially at city and regional levels, mainstream business support organisations (notably chambers of commerce), professional business advisers such as small business consultants, accountants and lawyers, advocacy and service NGOs serving migrants, researchers (and students) in this field.
Its final target group: is of course actual and potential migrant entrepreneurs.
The partners are: AEIDL (European Association for Information on Local Development asbl), Diesis Coop, Social Impact gGmbH, Stichting Hoger Beroepsonderwijs Haaglanden en Rijnstreek, Research Unit Financial Inclusion and New Entrepreneurship (FINE), UNITEE aisbl, CECOP-CICOPA Europe, ETUC (European Trade Union Confederation), KMOP (Kentro Merimnas Oikogeinias kai Paidiou), REVES (Réseau Européen des Villes et Régions de l’Economie Social aisbl), ALDA (Association des Agences de la Démocratie locale), EURADA (Association Européenne des Agences de Développement) and Eurochambres.