Maria José Sousa, Bru-Iscte researcher and the project’s local coordinator, attended to  iNSPIRE Social Entrepreneurs Network (iNSPIRE) kick-off meeting, in Paris, last week.

The iNSPIRE project (Erasmus+) will create a learning HUB that will develop inspiring apprenticeships processes, based on the identification of transferable lessons from the formal and informal learning environment to support the development of a social entrepreneurship network in several European countries.

This project goal is to improve skills for social entrepreneurs and increase the potential for social enterprise creation. iNSPIRE will make a further significant contribution to social innovation in learning and development, through the iNSPIRE Live HUB, using methodologies as storytelling of social projects already implemented – using the TEDx format, video learning tools, script learning materials, social media technologies to create a learning, knowledge exchange and collaboration framework for actual and potential social entrepreneurs at national and transnational levels within the EU.

The Challenge of iNSPIRE is to contribute to social inclusion encouraging cooperation between the worlds of education, training and work, which is integrated with the Europe 2030’s focus on innovation, enterprise and employment, providing young unemployed and underemployed people with appropriate skills to identify the innovative market opportunities required to establish new and sustainable social enterprises.

Different stakeholders will be involved in the project including non-profit associations, universities, training providers, social innovation organizations, research centers, and public agencies. iNSPIRE leadership is ensuring by the Association Culturelle des Jeunes Turcs de Bar le Duc (France) and among the partners are the Workplace Innovation Europe (Ireland), Inovatif Desunce Dernegi (Turkey) and Voices of World (Belgium).

The Bru-Iscte researchers Leandro Ferreira Pereira , Marjan Jalali, Renato Lopes da Costa and Pedro Sebastião  from IT-Iscte are also part of the project’s local team.

iNSPIRE project started on November 2021 and it will end on October 2023.