Project Summary:

The Project aims at spurring innovations in small and mid-sized business start-ups and business development process for the generation of sustainable jobs at local level and strengthening of the LPAs capacities to manage autonomously such processes. At the same time, the project is going to pilot and stimulate innovative entrepreneurial activity in rural and most remote areas of Moldova and provide financial support for innovative start-ups and business development.

Objectives:

• Build expertise and knowledge for mainstreaming innovations into business development processes and selective cases of new business start-up;
• Facilitate innovative business development for existing businesses through matching/competitive small grants scheme, aligned to the UNDP Innovation Challenge Policy;
• Consolidation of youth skills to access the labor market, as well as the elaboration of policy recommendations in the field of occupational integration of young people.

Expected results:

Enhanced expertise and knowledge in SMEs to mainstream innovations into the business development processes.

Accomplishments:

• www.inobiz.md electronic platform launched ad functional;
• 22 specific training sessions were conducted and more than 450 Moldovan SMEs, from various economic sectors, took active part and learned new tactics, tools and strategies to innovate;
• 86 innovation awards were granted to private sector companies, through the MICS (Moldova Innovation Challenge Scheme) modality, including 2 social entrepreneurship projects, 5 awards for technological innovation in fresh fruits sector, 3 collabortive projects and 76 individual innovative projects;
• The Business Innovation Lab started its operation, with the 1^st initiative ‘Coolege Vitamine/Make apples cool’ Campaign gathering interested stakeholders around a joint challenge: to increase fresh fruits consumption in kids in public schools and kindergartens throughout the country;
• The first National Experimental Observatory centered on youth skills was launched, being focused on supporting youth employability and the testing of sustainable solutions aimed to increase the degree of workforce occupancy and self-employment.