<< Objectives >>The project will nurture the entrepreneurship mindset, abilities and skills of foreign and native residents of Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. The project will help its participants to be more competitive in the labour market and the digital economies, take advantage of knowledge and skills they already have and turn their ideas into successful businesses. By promoting work in teams composed of foreign and native residents, the project will also foster social and economic integration.<< Implementation >>Project participants will take part in the Startup Camp – a series of hybrid trainings and workshops focused on the step-by-step development of their business ideas. Through working on the Online Ideas Repository, project participants will develop further their digital competences. Trainers involved in the project implementation will meet regularly to gather knowledge and good practices on how to train and support foreigners and natives in developing businesses.<< Results >>Training materials, Startup Camp, Online Ideas Repository and training guidelines will be the main products of the project. They will equip project participants with knowledge, skills and agile techniques and tools on business development and implementation, promote their business ideas, and allow for the exchange of experience among practitioners from Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic involved in education and training activities in the sphere of entrepreneurship.

BACKGROUNDMicro and small enterprises (MSEs) play an important role in the European economy. MSE are potentially particularly affected by a shortage of young talent, as they are unable to compete with the services offered by Medium-Sized Enterprises and large companies in various respects (e.g. job security, pay levels, promotion opportunities). MSE can and must react to this by paying special attention to maintaining the workability and employability of their existing workforces. In addition to the classic occupational health and safety measures, measures for the preventive maintenance of work and employability must be implemented to a greater extent, so that employees can and want to carry out their work until the planned retirement age. A comprehensive promotion of work ability can help to close this gap. Over the past few years, numerous research and transfer projects have developed and compiled instruments for the analysis and design of working conditions that make this comprehensive promotion of work ability possible. However, there is always feedback from consultants that the existing instruments cannot be used in companies with fewer than 15 employees: They are too complicated, do not fit in with the choice of words or can only be used with a larger number of employees.OBJECTIVEThe aim of the AKKUEurope project is therefore the systematic development and testing of a multimedia toolbox suitable for the target group on the basis of existing instruments, together with the owners and employees of selected MSE companies. For this purpose, a research of existing instruments in the participating European countries of the partners of the project is carried out first. After the research of at least 200 instruments in the context of health and employability, a catalogue of criteria will be compiled, according to which the instruments will be evaluated. The primary evaluation criterion is the applicability in the MSE. On the basis of the criteria catalogue, the expert project consortium will select at least 30 instruments for the toolbox that can be used throughout Europe. The selected instruments will be adapted to the needs of MSE or developed for this target group and especially for the employees working there and tested together with model MSE companies in all European countries covered by the project consortium. After the test phase, a final adjustment of the instruments based on the test results as well as a medial implementation of the toolbox will follow.PROJECT PARTNERThe AKKUEurope project represents highly motivated and experienced partners from 6 countries, each with specific expertise and experience in the field of employability and entrepreneurship in general. The partnership combines education providers with market relevance (micro enterprises) and IT partners. This composition ensures a geographical coverage and the possibility of dissemination of the project results throughout the EU. The partners have complementary skills and expertise that enable AKKUEurope to achieve objectives through solid and practical results.ACTIVITIESA) Analysis of existing instruments in the partner countriesB) Adaptation of the instruments and completion of the toolboxC) Test phase of the toolbox in the companyD) Media implementation of the instrumentsMETHDOLOGYAKKUEurope is based on a practical, precise methodological approach: such a balance is ensured by the partners involved. The methodology is outlined along the following steps:- Analysis of existing instruments and their adaptation- Development of the toolbox- Pilot project for user-based validation- Completion- Complete introduction and deployment through the OER platformRESULTSAKKUEurope results will be practical and relevant solutions for micro and small businesses, available in multilingual versions, free and without restrictions through the OER platform. IMPACT AND BENEFITSAKKUEurope will increase the competitiveness of MSE and promote its growth. It will generate immediate and tangible impacts at local level and reach target groups and relevant stakeholders.

Trade is a central factor in shaping not only global, but also regional and local development. Trade policy has an especially important part to play in achieving the SDGs. The premise for this proposal is that trade has the power to produce positive outcomes when the policies which define the rules of the game are framed and designed in a way to promote access to markets, fair prices and standards of living for farmers, as well as alleviating rural poverty and ensuring sustainable farming practices. Addressing the relation between trade and SDGs requires an integrated approach to policy-making and inclusive governance. The main objective of this project is to contribute to build new opportunities for fostering the positive sustainability impacts of trade supported by improved design and framing of trade policy at national, EU and global level, including WTO modernization, increased policy coherence at different domains including agricultural, energy, climate, environmental and nutritional policies. The SDGs agenda requires a holistic approach allowing the contextual evaluation of several dimensions at the same time by measuring co-benefits and trade-offs. For this reason, we propose an integrated and systemic approach that combines several quantitative models from different perspectives, and qualitative methods such as specific country/supply chain case studies, Lab-in-the Field experiments and a dynamic trade game considering the fact that SDGs are highly context-related. A wide consultation process involving stakeholders both in the EU and in the partner countries in all the project stages will ensure the transparency and balance of conclusions and policy recommendations. The proposal is directly connected to the work programme “Food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine, maritime and inland water research and the bioeconomy” through analysing how agricultural trade can contribute to meet global sustainability challenges and objectives.