FAQs

Interested host entrepreneurs must be based in Canada (Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia), Israel, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan or the USA (NY State, California).

The new entrepreneurs in Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs Global must be citizens in one of the EU Member States or the UK to be eligible to participate. Entrepreneurs from the EU outermost regions and the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) are also eligible to participate. New entrepreneurs must apply via the usual Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme.

Temporary adaptation of EYE programme rules

Following the developments in the Covid-19 outbreak, the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs Global programme has temporarily adapted its rules. Remote exchanges are possible and allowed for a period of 1 to 3 months. Entrepreneurs participating in the remote exchange are NOT eligible to receive a financial allowance. If the NE can travel, the physical exchange can take place for maximum 3 months and the NE is entitled to receiving a financial allowance. The duration of the match (remote + physical) cannot be longer than 3 months and must be achieved within a period of 12 consecutive months. These exceptional rules will apply until the 31 December 2022. If you need more information, please consult your Intermediary Organization.

Travel rules

The Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs Global programme does not define any new travel restrictions in addition to those that already exist at national level. Participants need to follow national advice and consult the website of their respective national ministries (Ministry of Health and/or Ministry of Foreign Affairs, etc.) for up-to-date travel restriction. In addition, participants need to make sure they have a valid medical insurance, whatever their destination, in accordance to the programme rules.

No, there is no deadline to register for the programme. Interested applicants can apply online anytime at the following page.

The European Commission Communication defines SMEs as follow: “An enterprise is any entity engaged in an economic activity, irrespective of its legal form”. “Enterprises qualify as micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) if they fulfil the criteria laid down in the Recommendation which are summarized in the table below. In addition to the staff headcount ceiling, an enterprise qualifies as an SME if it meets either the turnover ceiling or the balance sheet ceiling, but not necessarily both.

EU’s SME definition: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/facts-figures-analysis/sme-definition/index_en.htm

The European Union foresees financial assistance for the new entrepreneurs, which contributes to travel costs to and from the country of the stay and covers subsistence costs during the visit. This financial assistance depends on the country of the exchange and the total length of the collaboration with the host abroad.

The Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs Global is managed by Directorate-General Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW) of the European Commission.

The implementation of the project is the responsibility of the contact points that can be found at the following page: Contact Points – Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs Global.

Step-by-step guide

Main steps to follow to participate in the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme

1. Prepare your application, including a CV that demonstrates your entrepreneurial experience, and the motivation that you will outline in the online application;
2. Register via the online form (link) and reach out to your contact point;
3. Once accepted, build a relationship with a European new entrepreneur (two options):
   1. You look for a new entrepreneur in the online catalogue with the help of your contact point, or
   2. You suggest to your contact point a new entrepreneur that you have come across outside of the catalogue, providing that there is no existing collaboration between the two of you.

Note that note that an exchange might not be considered as eligible is if is not in line with the programmes’ eligibility criteria for an exchange (e.g. internship, work placements, etc.)

4. Reach an agreement with your new entrepreneur about the exchange and learning project (i.e. the dates, objectives and activity plan of the exchange) and submit the details to your contact point.

It is important to keep in mind that the programme supports only entrepreneurial collaborations between to the individual entrepreneurs. Participation in the programme is an individual responsibility and cannot be delegated to others.

5. Signature of Commitment to Quality: A Commitment to Quality, based on the agreed points from step 4, should be digitally signed in the IT Tool by all partners involved in the relationship.
6. Start of the stay abroad: The duration of the exchange may be from 1 to 3 months, with the possibility of dividing the stay into multiple periods abroad (providing the time span does not exceed a total of 12 months);
7. The financial assistance to the new entrepreneur will be provided in several payments, according to the agreement signed with the relevant contact point.
8. During the exchange, the collaboration will be monitored by the two IOs in order to ensure that it is implemented as agreed. Changes to the activity plan or the dates of the exchange may be possible, provided that all parties involved (NE, HE and both IOs) agree to the changes in advance.
9. After the exchange, both entrepreneurs will need to respond to the online feedback questionnaire that will be available in the IT Tool.

Should a host entrepreneur wish to host again, he/she will be able to do so once the previous exchange has been successfully completed.