Last November 10^th 2022, the first in-person discussion meeting with all SwitchMed’s Green Entrepreneurship programme implementing partners was held.

In the framework of the SwitchMed Connect event at Ecomondo international Fair in Rimini (Italy), MedWaves managed to gather representatives from the 8 implementing countries of SwitchMed’s Green Entrepreneurship  programme. This event aimed to assemble all the local implementing partners including the Businness Support Organizations leading the local partnerships, mentors and green entrepreneurship experts along with MedWaves managing staff in order to share experiences and lessons learnt from the programme implementation process. Moreover, it was intended to address questions to all stakeholders or formulate proposals related to the improvement and sustainability of the programme.

All the implementing partners introduced their own Switchers Support National Partnership, represented by a large variety of stakeholders. They exposed their national green entrepreneurship ecosystems that is enabling the creation and development of green and circular business models.

The open discussion identified the flaws and strengths of these newly created ecosystems along with other issues such as their sustainability, composition, management, governance or effectiveness. Local mentors also contributed with proposals for improvement of the methodology and tools, management of trainee’s expectations or enhancing trainers’ skills.

The gathering raised awareness of all the common ground existing among the 8 implementing parties and the increasing need to create synergies and spaces for knowledge and exchange of experiences, not only between Business Support Organizations but also among mentors, trainers and other involved green entrepreneurship experts.

All partners made possible to have this fruitful experience that encouraged everybody to be involved in the creation of an enabling regional ecosystem for the acceleration of a green and circular entrepreneurship in the Mediterranean region. Such ecosystem is intended to thrive within the recently created ACT Network framework.