Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs

1. Young entrepreneurs are growing up
In 2009 the DG Enterprise and Industry of the European Commission (EC) promoted the
“Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs” (EYE) a pilot project for the development of SMEs in
all the EU Member States.
The programme is based on the collaboration between successful and aspiring entrepreneurs
with the aim to give to the latters the possibility to acquire the right competencies and skills
to start-up a new successful activity.
All this is achieved through 1 to 6 months long-lasting stays of young entrepreneurs at
thriving companies all over the EU Countries.
The final objective of this project is to promote the growth and the internationalisation of
SMEs (both new and consolidated) and to encourage the exchange of know-how in this
sector inside the EU.
The Italian Chamber of Commerce for Hungary (ICCH) has recently
took part in this programme through the “Europe Helpdesk” an ICCH
section which manages all the EU projects of the Chamber.
Moreover the ICCH is involved, together with one Italian and one
British partner, in the Fly-off – Feel your business1
, a project co-
financed by the EC under the Erasmus which started last June and will
last 21 months.
In particular, the ICCH proposes itself as an intermediary between
Italian and Hungarian enterprises in order to promote the exchanges
between the two Countries.
1
http://www.fly-off.eu/index_it.html

2. To this end it could be useful to report the experience made in Hungary by Alessandro
Gambini - Professor in the Department of Mathematics for Economic and Social Sciences at
the University of Bologna, and aspiring entrepreneur – at the Lenart Bt2
, owned by Isztvàn
Lenart.
Gambini stayed there for 1 month and a half. During this period he has the possibility to
know the Lenart’s Spheres commonly used in Hungary to help students with mathematic
and scientific calculations. He participated to workshops and visited some schools to see the
practical application of this instrument. Back in Italy, Gambini started to use the spheres and
to promote their use in primary and secondary schools among teachers and students.
On the other hand Lenart had the opportunity to export its products in the Italian market
thanks to the business plan elaborated with Gambini for the diffusion of the Lenart’s
Spheres in Italy and the involvement of others commercial partners.
That is what they said about their experience:
Gambini: “The exchange has been very useful for me. It should be more many opportunities
like the EYE not only for entrepreneurs but also for SMEs which want to improve and
extend their activity”.
Lenart: “Thanks to EYE we had the possibility to sell our product in Italy. Moreover we
accepted the ideas of Alessandro on the promotion of extra-curricular maths forums in
primary and secondary schools”.
Gambini e Lenart during the exchange
2
www.lenartsphere.com

3. The situation of SMEs is the same in Italy and in Hungary and it increases the importance of
this programme in order to develop the economic cooperation between the two realities.
The EU initiative is a part of the ICCH’s general mission of encouraging the Italian
investments and the presence of Italian SMEs in the Magyar Country.
Mariangela Sassi – October 2011