Start-ups for sustainable environment created by youngsters

Programme 2014 - 2020 INTERREG V-A Finland - Estonia - Latvia - Sweden (Central Baltic)

Date of latest update: 2024-03-26

Description

Description (EN):

All Central Baltic countries face the same cross-border challenge: society and business activities should operate on the environment based approach to be sustainable. ChangeMakers aims to enhance entrpreunership mindset yought and development of 50 cross-border mini companies (i.e. student start-ups) with business plans. These student’s start-up simulations are based on enviromental challenges gained from from local business and industry in project activities. From each country, students under 18-year-old and teachers from upper secondary schools or vocational schools are attending the project. They will work in co-operation with each other, together with the experts from partners universities and mentors from enterprises and SMEs. The schools are: FI: Merikarvia upper secondary school, Eurajoki Upper secondary school, Å: Åland vocational school, SE: Värmdö Gymnasium, LA: Salacgrīva Secondary School and Engineering High School of Riga Technical University, and EE: Viimis Riigigümnaasium and Gustav Adolfi Gümnaasium. Totally 250 students will participate. The long-term tools established, developed, tested and improved in ChangeMakers and available beyond the project is an open access ePlatform tool "ChangeMakers" on 1) environmental aspects (safety, regulations, legislation) 2) facts on/for entrepreneurs (guideline how to do business and for distance communication), 3) tools for teachers for coaching their students on business making with sustainable elements and 4) pedagogical study module for vocational school and for upper secondary school. Participating youngsters have built an entrepreunership mindset think out of the box" within environmental challanges and business opportunities on them with. The tools developed (as part of the ePlatform) and mindset will be shared wider in Central Baltic area and beoynd using various communication channels such as social media.

Achievements (EN):

ChangeMakers created eLearning materials on sustainable environment and environmental challenges. One of the most valuable and interesting achievements of the project was a functioning study module for upper secondary and vocational schools. The study module consists of high-quality eLearning materials on circular economy, cross-cultural teamwork and communication skills, innovation management, entrepreneurship, prototyping, market research and pitching. Project created an open ePlatform for cross-border joint student companies on environmental challenges. The platform gives access to the eLearning materials with PowerPoints, word-files for teachers, and additional videos, as well as examples of created environmental challenges. The ePlatform supports students’ on how to become an entrepreneur, enhance one’s creative skills, self-competence as well as social intelligence. Additionally, the project established cooperation with the business sector around the Central Baltic area, which allowed the students to solve real-life environmental challenges. Student teams provided the business sector with working and inspirational solutions for their possible future use. 53 student teams were formed during the project implementation, each consisting of students from at least two participating countries - Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Sweden and Åland. The activities that led up to ready student start-up simulations gave the students an opportunity to a multidimensional experience and boosted the student's experience on international joint teams.

Website: http://centralbaltic.eu/

Expected Results (EN): R1.2. Number of established joint student companies

Expected Outputs (EN):

The project's main result is the creating 50 cross-border mini-companies. A mini-company is a team, which has students from at least two project countries. One team includes 3 - 5 students from different participating schools. Sustainable element is defined as a product, service, application or solution, in which environmental challenge (f.e. circuit economy,reusing, reducing and recycling) is the basis for mini-company's business idea. Altogether 250 students from Finland, Åland, Sweden, Estonia and Latvia are taking part in cross-border start-up simulation and getting mentoring and coaching from business experts, but also from experts in circuit economy. Their ideas and prototypes can be future developed to "real" business. In simulation student confront and take up different challenges, act and work independently to achieve goals, stick to intentions and carry out planned tasks. They are forced to set long-, medium- and short-term goals, define priorities and action plans, and adapt to unforeseen changes. Also, students work together and co-operate with others to develop ideas and turn them into action, but also solve conflicts and face up to competition positively when necessary. These kind of activities is the best to learn 21st century skills. Altogether 20 teachers are trained to guide cross-border student start-ups. They get experiences to utilize in future study modules in vocational schools and upper secondary schools. The ePlatform will be developed and tested. All the learning materials are shared in ePlatform, from which other schools utilize developed materials or holistic methodology.

Thematic information

SME and entrepreneurship

Specific Objective: More entrepreneurial youth

Thematic Objective: (03) enhancing the competitiveness of SMEs by:

Investment Priority: (03a) promoting entrepreneurship, in particular by facilitating the economic exploitation of new ideas and fostering the creation of new firms, including through business incubators

Partners (6)

Lead Partner: Turun yliopisto

Department: Department of teacher education, Rauma campus

Address: Yliopistonmäki 1, 20014 Turku, Finland

Legal status: public

Website: https://www.utu.fi

Total budget: EUR 364 531.58

ERDF budget: EUR 273 398.68

Stockholms Universitet

Name: Stockholms Universitet

Department: Physical Geography

Address: Svante Arrhenius väg 8, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden

Legal status: public

Website: https://www.natgeo.su.se/english/

Total budget: EUR 246 739.99

ERDF budget: EUR 185 054.99

Tallinna Tehnikaülikool

Name: Tallinna Tehnikaülikool

Department: Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture

Address: Ehitajate tee 5, 19086 Tallinn, Estonia

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.taltech.ee

Total budget: EUR 174 592.81

ERDF budget: EUR 148 403.89

Ålands yrkesgymnasium

Name: Ålands yrkesgymnasium

Department: n/a

Address: Strandgatan 1, 22100 Mariehamn, Finland

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.gymnasium.ax

Total budget: EUR 187 017.00

ERDF budget: EUR 140 262.75

Rīgas Tehniskā universitāte

Name: Rīgas Tehniskā universitāte

Department: Design Factory

Address: Kaļķu iela 1, LV-1658 Riga, Latvia

Legal status: public

Website: https://www.rtu.lv

Total budget: EUR 199 027.57

ERDF budget: EUR 169 173.43

Satakunnan ammattikorkeakoulu

Name: Satakunnan ammattikorkeakoulu

Department: Faculty of Technology and Faculty of Service Business

Address: Satakunnankatu 23, 28130 Pori, Finland

Legal status: public

Website: http://www.samk.fi

Total budget: EUR 219 239.06

ERDF budget: EUR 164 429.30

Partners map

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Start-ups for sustainable environment created by youngsters

Project acronym: ChangeMakers

Project start date: 2020-03-01

Project end date: 2022-11-30

Project status: closed

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 1 391 148.01

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 1 080 723.05

Co-financing sources:

ERDF: Amount, EUR 1 080 723.05.

Documents

Documents on this project are listed below, and organised by category. Please note field "Data source", attached to each document. Keep.eu users are free to use these documents as long as they mention the data source and keep.eu.

Videos / films

ChangeMakers - Challenges to Business 2022. Video by Mikko Lehtonen/AaVekellari.fi

Attachment type: link

Type of document: Video / film

Data source: https://sites.utu.fi/changemakers/

Publication date: 2023-08-28

Document date: 2022-04-26

Languages: en

ChangeMakers first online Bootcamp 26.11.-27.10.2020

Attachment type: link

Type of document: Video / film

Data source: https://sites.utu.fi/changemakers/

Publication date: 2023-08-28

Document date: 2020-11-18

Languages: en

ChangeMakers prototyping session

Attachment type: link

Type of document: Video / film

Data source: https://sites.utu.fi/changemakers/

Publication date: 2023-08-28

Document date: 2021-06-10

Languages: en

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2014 - 2020 INTERREG V-A Finland - Estonia - Latvia - Sweden (Central Baltic)

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2023-11-11

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

137 / 137 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

663 / 663 (100%)

Notes on the data

Information provided by the Programme. Achievements were retrieved by Interact from the Programme website (http://centralbaltic.eu/), or a website directly linked from it, on 2021-11-08, 2023-01-12 and 2024-03-08.

The financial data featured in keep.eu for this programme, it's projects and its partners is not exact and should be taken as a reference only.

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Contact Form

Start-ups for sustainable environment created by youngsters

Description

Thematic information

Partners (6)

Partners map

Summary

Documents

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

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