New Entrepreneur

You can participate in the programme as a new entrepreneur if:  

  • You are firmly planning to start a business, based on a viable business plan;
  • You have started your own business within the last 3 years.

Your (future) company or activity can be in any sector and there is no age limit. 

However, you must also:

  • Be a permanent resident in one of the European Union countries;
  • Have a concrete project or business idea, reflected in a business plan;
  • Be motivated and committed to collaborate during your stay with an experienced entrepreneur from another European Union country; Be prepared to contribute to the development of the host entrepreneur's business and make your skills and competences available;
  • Be ready to complement the programme funds as needed to cover the costs of your stay abroad.

 

Active participation in the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme offers aspiring entrepreneurs access to a wide range of benefits to help successfully run or start a new business:

Up to six months stay with an experienced entrepreneur in another European Union country to gain first-hand knowledge about business start-up in a wide range of areas such as: marketing/sales, financial accounting, customer relations, business finance etc. You will also have the opportunity to improve your business plan;

  • Building self-confidence and skills: sector-specific knowledge or know-how, technical and management skills;
  • Opportunities for collaboration with other entrepreneurs and the development of cross-border business co-operation;
  • Networking and building of strong relationships, which can be useful for mutual consulting, business referrals, and for finding business partners abroad;
  • Insights into different cultural and organisational settings and how companies function in another European Union country;
  • Insights into the business environment of another European Union country
  • Improved language skills;

Thanks to the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme, participants achieve long-term benefits, which are illustrated in the Erasmus success stories

As a new entrepreneur in the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme, you will have the following tasks and responsibilities:

  • Sign an agreement with your local contact point for the payment of the grant for your stay, specifying the tasks, responsibilities, financial conditions and legal implications of the project within the agreed timetable;
  • Submit a feedback questionnaire after your stay abroad, describing the work performed, the skills and knowledge you acquired and the benefits of the exchange on the development of your own business;
  • Contribute to a successful and productive stay;

Together with your host entrepreneur, you will decide which activities you will carry out during your stay. They can include:

  • Shadow and work with your experienced host entrepreneur;
  • Conduct market research and develop new business opportunities
  • Participate in projects of entrepreneurship development, innovation and research & development;

  • Improve or sharpen your business plan

  • Understand business finance;

  • Discover the branding, sales and marketing strategies of the host entrepreneur's company;

Have a look at the exchange success stories to get an overview of the wide range of activities undertaken by new entrepreneurs during their stay abroad.

The financial support to new entrepreneurs contributes to travel and subsistence costs during the visit. The grant is paid by the local contact point chosen by the new entrepreneur (registered in the online application). The new entrepreneur and his/her local contact point sign an agreement which determines the funding granted during his/her stay, and how it will be paid in practice (e.g. partial payment at the beginning of the stay, monthly payment, etc). The financial support is calculated monthly and reflects the overall living costs of the country of stay.

 Download the table of monthly financial assistance paid per country of stay

In order to apply to the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme, please subscribe online by completing the following steps: 1. Enter your e-mail address in the form below.2. Click the Register button.3. Complete the form which appears after clicking the Register button.4. Follow the instructions that you will receive by e-mail to confirm your registration.The registration tool does not work with all available browsers. Please apply with Internet Explorer (IE) 6, IE7, IE8 or Firefox on Windows machines. If you are using Windows 7, please use Firefox as it is temporarily not working with IE8. 

To view the questionnaire before registering, please click here

For more information regarding the registration process, please download our simple step-by-step Registration Guide for New Entrepreneurs.