Today, the issue of supporting cooperative entrepreneurship is essential. On the one hand, it fosters social entrepreneurship, on the other hand, it increases the attractiveness of young people in the labour market.

COOPilot: on the way to entrepreneurship of change

COOPilot aims to transfer competencies from the more advanced countries in the field of cooperatives towards the less advanced ones. The originality of the project is to gather academic partners, training institutes, stakeholders of social economy and public authorities.

Specific tools and training will be set up in the countries where they are most needed: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Romania and Slovenia. These tools will consist in three models of practical training and an online course (MOOC).

The training sessions will take the form of a two-day seminar composed by several modules of cooperative entrepreneurial spirit. Three audiences will be targeted: the school environment, the academic sector and young entrepreneurs who start their activities.

COOPilot partners

COOpilot is co-financed by DG Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs of the European Commission.

The implementation of the project will be carried out by eleven organisations present in nine member states:

• European think & do tank POUR LA SOLIDARITÉ (Belgium), Project coordinator
• Université de Liège - Le Centre d'Économie Sociale (Belgium)
• National school of political studies and public administration (Romania)
• Federazione trentina della cooperazione (Italy)
• Fundacion Escuela Andaluza de Economia Social (Spain)
• Mladinska zadruga Kreaktor, Z.B.O., Socialno podjetje (Slovenia)
• Social Economy Institute (Greece)
• Scuola Nazionale Servizi Foundation (Italy)
• Association des agences de la démocratie locale, ALDA (France)
• Chamber of commerce and industry Vratsa sdruzhenie (Bulgaria)
• Authority for Cooperative Societies (Cyprus)

CooPilot in short

• Kick off meeting, 22 and 23 may 2017
• National reports on the development potential as well as on programmes and cooperative entrepreneurship practices (September - October 2017)
• European benchmarking report in order to improve target groups (November 2017)
• 5 training sessions (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Romania and Slovenia) (October 2017 - Fébruary 2018)
• Open Online course (Massive Open Online Course, MOOC) with 3 modules on cooperative entrepreneurship, aimed at young people, future cooperators, members, workers and managers of cooperatives (March 2018)
• A European recommendation guide to improve cooperative entrepreneurship (March 2018)