Welcome to VIFRE : online resources for a successful project in your new country
Follow your progress by registering
What is VIFRE ?
The VIFRE platform is an online business incubator that was originally developed to offer entrepreneurship education specifically for refugees in Europe. Erasmus+ funds this project and aims at developing a digital incubator for those who have intentions to develop their business in hosting countries. Both academic institutions and NGOs in France, Germany, and Ireland are involved. As for the academic institutions, Paris School of Business (France), University of Bremen (Germany), and Dublin Business School (Ireland). These academic institutions collaborate with non-profit organizations in three countries, namely SINGA France (France), Institute for SocialPedagogic Research Mainz – ISM (Germany), and Irish Refugee Council – IRC (Dublin), who currently support entrepreneurial activities of forcibly displaced people.
The final objective of this three-year European project is the development of an open access digital incubator with MOOCs and various additional contents.
VIFRE platform is useful not only for refugees and NGOs but also for those who crossing borders such as immigrants, expats, and international students who are interested in establishing businesses in the host countries. We call the people who are crossing borders and become entrepreneurs as “transnational entrepreneurs”. The platform consists of three main parts: a welcome package that presents the different programs (cultural and entrepreneurial) existing in the three countries, a legal advice section that helps you to discover the legal obligations in the three countries and a large pedagogical content that will help you to start, design and develop your entrepreneurial idea.
The pedagogical content is available in four different languages: English, French, German and Arabic.
What content will you find in the VIFRE platform ?
The Team
Founded in 1974, PSB Paris School of Business is a school offering undergraduate programs (International BBA), Bachelor programs (Master in Business Management «Programme Grande Ecole»), and post graduate programs (MSc, MA, MBA, DBA, Executive Education and Extension). The school is located in the heart of Paris in a campus of 3900 students comprising 21 % of international students, and 98 permanent faculty members. PSB Paris School of Business also benefits from agreements with 174 partner universities. The pedagogical orientation of the school is best described by its moto: «Acting Beyond Knowledge». For further information please do not hesitate to visit our website: https://www.psbedu.paris/fr
Dublin Business School (DBS) is Ireland’s largest independent third-level institution, offering a wide range of undergraduate, postgraduate and professional programmes in Business, Arts and Law. Located in the vibrant centre of Dublin, DBS has developed courses in collaboration with industry and professional bodies that are accredited by Qualifications and Quality Ireland. These programmes are highly focused and relevant to domestic and international learners and employ innovative approaches to teaching and learning. For more information, please visit : https://www.dbs.ie
The University of Bremen located in northern Germany founded in 1971, it is a campus of 19,400 students and 3,500 employees. The Chair in Small Business and Entrepreneurship (LEMEX, founded in 2001, led by Prof. Dr. Jörg Freiling). The Chair has two central focus on the ethics of entrepreneurship research: On one hand, the chair investigates the founding activities of transnational entrepreneurship such as the burgeoning number of the migration, diaspora and refugee entrepreneurship. On the other hand, it focuses on start-up ecosystems and related institutions such as accelerators and incubators program. More information: https://www.uni-bremen.de/en/lemex/
Initially a citizen movement, SINGA creates opportunities for refugees and their host communities to meet and cooperate. SINGA's aim is to build bridges between people, encouraging dialogue, fostering cultural enrichment and creating job opportunities. SINGA seeks to improve awareness and change perceptions about refugees and asylum seekers. In Paris, Lyon, Milano, Stuttgart, Zurich, Bruxelles, Berlin and Barcelona, SINGA has developed incubators, supporting entrepreneurs in the creation and development of their entrepreneurial project. Our support consists in workshops, meetings with experts, individual follow-up sessions and access to co-working space. To discover more, visit the website : https://www.singafrance.com/welcome-english
The “Competence Centre for Migrant Entrepreneurship” is one of the five competence centres and is headed by the Institut für sozialpädagogische Forschung Mainz e.V. It focusses on migrants living in Germany and who came to Germany as professionals or refugees and tries to improve the labour market integration of migrants and refugees with a distinct focus on realising entrepreneurial careers. The activities carried out are the positioning of the performance potential of migrant entrepreneurship as well as practical research on the entrepreneurial activity of migrants. We also use innovative and target group-specific consulting concepts and instruments which are continuously developed by a nationwide network of professionals from academia, policy, administration and practical field. For more information, please visit https://ism-mainz.de/ism-e-v and www.wir-gruenden-in-deutschland.de
Euroquality is a French company specialised in setting up and managing European projects. Euroquality supports technological and methodological innovation within SMEs and provides policy evaluation and economic studies. Web development and in particular in e-learning platforms are also part of their expertise. Thus, within the VIFRE project, Euroquality is in charge of developing the virtual incubator for refugees. Please visit website : http://euroquality.fr/fr/
The Irish Refugee Council works to create a just, fair and inclusive society for people seeking asylum in Ireland. The organisation provides a number of free frontline services and supports to refugees and people in the asylum process including an Information Drop-In Centre; an Independent Law Centre; a programme of Youth Work; and Integration supports including a Housing Project, an Education Support Programme, an Employment Programme for Women, and Resettlement support. The Irish Refugee Council also advocates for improvements in the asylum procedure, reception conditions and in relation to Ireland’s engagement with EU refugee policy through media, research and policy work. To discover more, visit the website : https://www.irishrefugeecouncil.ie
This project has received funding from the European Commission.