IDEA PROGRAMME
Innovation, Development and Entrepreneurship for All (IDEA) is a UNIDO programme designed to foster an entrepreneurial culture and facilitate integration into the formal economy through a modular and flexible approach.
IDEA establishes better socio-economic conditions and the opportunity for people and beneficiaries to support the development of their own communities. The programme helps to encourage people to stay and / or return to their countries, which now offer new economic opportunities.
IDEA’s objectives are:
IDEA APPROACH
IDEA has proven to be a relevant approach in tackling developmental challenges. The programme is based on five modular/sequential steps, allowing for high adaptability to the needs of beneficiaries and country specific contexts.
Identifying/evaluating value chains and market opportunities within the country of intervention – specifically in sectors with an important job creation and growth potential.
Skills development and trainings based on market and business needs in the following areas: management, entrepreneurship, business creation, financial literacy, cleaner production, standards, on the importance of a systematic quality approach, and the benefits of integrating a cluster/business network etc.
Incubation and acceleration services aims at building up the capacities of the beneficiaries. Incubations will be physical and virtual with the delivery of training modules through apps (IDEA App), online learning material etc. Physical incubators (IDEA Centers) will also allow offering a place of networking and business development emulation.
Developing clusters and business networks. Within the selected value chains/ sectors, enhance the linkages and connectivity between suppliers and buyers and create synergies between beneficiaries and other stakeholders.
Ensuring sustainable enterprise growth. Assessment and evaluation of the created businesses to identify potential supplementary assistance services such as production modernization, upgrading, cleaner production and resources efficient methods, waste management, etc.
The approach also aims to ensure that the government is engaged in providing the necessary incentives to support entrepreneurship endeavours and business creation (favourable tax system, special economic zones, industrial parks,
agropoles, etc).
