Strategic support for facilitating the adoption of Energy and Resources efficiency as drivers for the technical and business development of Egyptian SMEs and start-ups of the FOOD sector
Description
ER2FOOD project aims at providing strategic support and expert consultancy services to Egyptian MSMEs and start-ups in the food sector for facilitating the adoption of energy and resources efficiency as drivers of their technical and business development within circular economy. The project screens a number of promising MSMEs and start-ups from the food sector and guide them along a business development path, with three main objectives:
- To increase awareness of energy and resources efficiency solutions in the food industry, and support their implementation for a higher productivity and profitability
- To develop the entrepreneurial attitude towards a more circular economy, to expand MSMEs and start-ups business also out of Egypt and favor new jobs creation
- To create tools for a valuable dissemination and marketing strategy, leveraging on the energy and resources efficiency improvements.
The targeted impact is the reduction of energy and resources consumption of supported bakeries by at least 20%. The results of the project will be disseminated among the sector and Green Financial Services Providers (e.g. GEFF) in Egypt to support the green transition of the bakery sector at a larger scale, to facilitate MSMEs/start-ups access to green finance, and to contribute to climate change mitigation.
Services
WP 1: Organization and delivery of group training and workshop to wide audience
- to increase awareness on energy consumptions, resource utilization and production efficiency
- to prepare training materials for events as well as for dissemination on enabling technologies, best international, the impact on MSMEs competitiveness, export, and growth through success cases.
- to collaborate with MSMEs and start-ups to assess needs and feedback in food services
- to screen, profile and select a group of enterprises for dedicated consulting services.
WP 2: Incubation and business modelling support
- to provide customized expert consultancy services and trainings at the selected start-ups
- to focus on start-ups’ assets and business models to appeal investors and/or access to finance schemes for a sustainable growth
- to ensure that the start-ups have the adapted and necessary tools to access funding, find relevant partners, develop comprehensive and useful business models, and manage their production
- to increase the start-ups technology readiness level of their products/services
- to ensure the sustainability of start-ups on the long-term
WP 3: Technical and environmental assessment of screened companies
- to provide technical and environmental services to at least 15 enterprises in the food sector
- Perform a second screening of the most promising Start-ups and MSMEs
WP 4: Technical and economic feasibility study for upgrade
- To support MSMEs in defining a development plan aimed at increasing their sustainability and competitiveness by feasibility study
WP 5: Dissemination of results, preparation of a Collective Mark, analysis of relevant international standards
- analysis of relevant standards (environmental, quality, traceability, and packaging…) necessary
- to increase the export e.g. in EU countries, as integral part of training material
- preparation of a Collective Mark, to be used by the pilot Start-ups and MSMEs, as evidence of their efforts towards sustainability
- preparation of success stories and dissemination of results, to stimulate other companies
- Creation of an online portal dedicated to energy and resource efficiency in the food sector.
WP 6: Project Management
- to structure, manage and monitor the project activities, by facilitating the cooperation within and among the project partners and the WPs, thus ensuring a dynamic and efficient governance of the project along its entire duration.