FP6's WE-Mentor Project at MIGAL

MIGAL has recently begun a project that is funded by the FP6 programme of the European Commission, called WE-Mentor. WE-Mentor will motivate women entrepreneurs to participate submitting proposals to FP7.

Women entrepreneurs are of high importance for economic and regional development. They are active in research and development; however their participation level in European research projects and trans-national co-operation is low. This is even truer for women-owned businesses. Part of the problem is that women entrepreneurs are not reached by the mainstream information and support schemes for European Research and Technological Development (EU RTD).

WE-Mentor is building on a partnership of 10 EU member states organised in the consortium of the recently completed project “WomEn2FP6”. Four EU Member states (Belgium, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom) take the lead to mentor 4 “new - comers” to the topic of integrating women entrepreneurs into European Research (India, Israel, Romania and Turkey).

The Project

WE-Mentor will motivate women entrepreneurs to participate
in European projects

Women entrepreneurs are of high importance for economic
and regional development. They are active in research and
development, however their participation level in Euro pean
research projects and trans-national co-operation is low. This is
even more true for women-owned businesses. Part of the problem
is that women entrepreneurs are not reached by the
mainstream information and support schemes for European
Research and Technological Development (EU RTD).
WE-Mentor is building on a partnership of 10 EU member
states organised in the consortium of the recently
completed project “WomEn2FP6”.

Four EU Member states (Belgium, Germany, Italy and
the United Kingdom) take the lead to mentor 4 “new -
comers” to the topic of integrating women entrepreneurs
into European Research (India, Israel, Romania and
Turkey).

In a first step the mentee regions will be trained on good practices
in approaching, motivating and facilitating women entrepreneurs
to participate in EU RTD. In a second step the mentees
will implement the good practices in their regions and set up
activities to promote women’s participation in EU RTD. Mentors
will support the implementation process and involve role
models from their own regions. A database of women entrepreneurs’
expertise for the initiation of trans-national project partnerships,
developed under the project “WomEn2FP6”, will be expanded
to the new mentee regions.

The objective of WE-Mentor is to motivate women entrepreneurs to par - ticipate in projects under the 7th Framework Programme of the European
Commission.

Opportunities for women in business to get involved in Euro pean research projects

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