BIOSTEAM —Youth Entrepreneurship Program based on a biomimetic approach — is a funded EU-project that involves 5 partners from Spain, North Macedonia, Italy, Lithuania and Bulgaria. The project seeks to integrate the latest youth deals with work and entrepreneurship with a biomimicry-based approach, encouraging bio-inspired sustainable innovation. In fact, as the global landscape evolves, young individuals face increasing difficulty in realizing their full potential while making sustainable choices. For these reasons, entrepreneurship is a priority tool that has the potential to combat youth unemployment and social exclusion and to stimulate innovation and economic development.
Regarding youth entrepreneurship, statistics from OCSE reveal a stark reality: while 40% of young people express interest in entrepreneurship, merely 4.7% have attempted to start a business. This gap is attributed to various factors, including a lack of suitable competences and experiences (63.7%), entrepreneurial ideas (8%), and a pervasive “fear of failure” (44.5%). BIOSTEAM aims to address these challenges by equipping young entrepreneurs with the practical and theoretical knowledge essential for navigating the job market.
The project employs a pedagogical approach centered on learning-by-doing, empowering young people to develop and refine their business projects through experimentation with various bio-inspired business models. Additionally, BIOSTEAM places significant emphasis on the e-learning platform and mentorship sessions. Here, mentors serve as positive role models, leveraging their experience, knowledge, and skills to guide mentees and mitigate unnecessary risks. Mentorship, as fostered by BIOSTEAM, facilitates knowledge and expertise sharing, boosts self-confidence, expands networks, and demonstrates tangible results for firms. This process enhances entrepreneurial and soft skills, such as teamwork, project management, and strategic thinking, essential for launching successful ventures amidst environmental changes.
Moreover, BIOSTEAM’s impact extends beyond youth entrepreneurship. Its methodology can be adapted for new modules on diverse topics or serve as inspiration for similar future initiatives. Notably, the BIOSTEAM approach holds promise for addressing the training needs of adults, facilitating the development of corporate environmental responsibility.
Aligned with the recommendations of the 2018 European Green Action Plan, BIOSTEAM incorporates a follow-up system to monitor the application of acquired knowledge and its impact. In fact, certified mentoring experts become part of a database, ensuring their involvement whenever a youth or team enrolls in the training program and allowing the project to replicate after the end of the project.
