The WOMEN IN BUSINESS consortium is pleased to announce its official Kick-off Dissemination Event "Business Women in the Danube Region" taking place in Varna (Bulgaria) 17 July 2018, 09:00, hosted by Regional Agency for Entrepreneurship and Innovations - Varna (RAPIV).

Women constitute 52% of the DR population but only 30% of them are self-employed and out of them are 30% start-ups. Only 10% of young women in the Danube Region are at early stage of business development and only 2% of them establish a business that lasts more than 42 months.

The Event gives the opportunity to bring together interested groups, academic institutions, business support organizations, key decision makers, stakeholders and SMEs, aiming to raise awareness of the potential solutions for supporting young women entrepreneurship..

Agenda:

09:00 – 09:30 Welcome coffee and registration

09:30 – 09:40 Welcome by Mr. Yani Yanev, Chairman of the Management board of RAPIV

09:40 – 09:50 Opening speech Mr. Antonios Melas, representative of Danube Transnational Programme Joint Secretariat

09:50-10:00 Official opening

10:00-10:20 EU Strategy for the Danube Region, Dr. Judit Schrick-Szenczi, Coordinator EUSDR PA 8, Ministry for Economic  Affairs, Labour and Housing Baden-Württemberg

10:20-10:40  Bulgarian Policies for Young Women Entrepreneurship Support, Ms. Tihomira Palova, State Expert, Directorate ‘Economic Promotion Policies’ , Ministry  of Economy

10:40-11:00 Fostering  the Young Women Entrepreneurship in the Danube Region, Dr. Ralitsa Zhekova, Executive Director, RAPIV

11:00-12:20 Introduction of WOMEN IN BUSINESS consortium – All PPs

12:20-12:40 Entrepreneurship support: Varna Economic Development Agency, Ms. Todorka Dimitrova, Director, VEDA

12:40-13:00 Discussions

13:00-14:00 Networking lunch

14:00-14:20 SEEWBAN – South Eastern Europe Women Business Angels Network, Ms. Daniela Dancheva, Bulgarian Association of Women Entrepreneurs

14:20-14:40 Challenges faced by Business Women in Varna, Dr. Yordanka Nencheva, Association “To Preserve the Woman”

14:40-15:00 Excellence in ReSTI – Excellence in research, social and technological innovation project management, Prof. Muris Cicic, School of Economics and Business, University of Sarajevo

15:00-15:20 DA-SPACE – Open Innovation to Raise Entrepreneurship Skills and Public Private Partnership in Danube Region, Ms. Valentina Grillea, bwcon Ltd

15:20-15:30 Coffee break

15:30-15:50 CITYWALK – Establishing walkable cities in the Danube Region, Prof. Teodora Bakardjieva PhD, Varna Free University “Chernorizets Hrabar”

15:50-16:10 Policy Support for Young Women Entrepreneurs in Rural Areas – WOMEN project, Ms. Claudia Krobath, Innovation Region Styria LTD

16:10 – 16:30 Establishment of Entrepreneurial Centre – Transfer of Knowledge from Universities to Economy, Ms. Emilija Skočibušić, Technology Park of Varazdin

16:30-17:00 Discussions and closing

Registration is required:        

Registration by 16 July 2018 by e-mail: office@rapiv.org

Venue:        
Graffit Gallery Hotel,

 65 Knyaz Boris I Blvd,

Varna, Bulgaria