The purpose of the project was to find ways to help migrant entrepreneurs succeed in their business ventures. Along with Scalera, the other members of the research team are Daniela Bolzani (University of Bologna, Italy) and Rosana Reis (Institut Superieur de Gestion, France). Their research is part of the European Union funded MIG.EN.CUBE project.

Identifying barriers

Europe is an attractive destination for migrants due to its appealing living and working conditions. But many individuals with a migrant background face challenges in terms of integration and inclusion. This leads to higher unemployment rates and a risk of poverty for this group. Entrepreneurship might be a different career choice for migrants, but there are several challenges that migrant entrepreneurs face. The researchers studied pre-incubators, incubators and accelerators in the Netherlands, France, and Italy to identify barriers and risks faced by migrant entrepreneurs in these countries.

Support initiatives and challenges

The research team discovered that the entrepreneurial ecosystems of all 3 countries are open to supporting migrant entrepreneurship. ‘We highlighted support initiatives specifically for migrants as well as more general support’, says Scalera. The targeted support helps migrant entrepreneurs with tools and knowledge to develop their entrepreneurial skills and transform their ideas into concrete business opportunities.

But the migrants themselves are also a highly diverse group with different backgrounds, business knowledge and needs. The situation is even more complex because each country in the study had its own specific challenges when it comes to providing support for this target group. ‘For example, the biggest hurdle In the Netherlands is developing a more coordinated support system that helps these entrepreneurs deal with legal and regulatory barriers’ explains Scalera.

Impact on policy

Overall, the research shows there is a lack of integrated support at the EU level that could serve a diverse group of migrants. To avoid the risk of untapped migrant entrepreneurship potential, the researchers came up with a few key recommendations for policy-makers:

• Focus on how migrant entrepreneurship affects local socio-economic development in the long term. Shift the focus from a welfare approach to seeing migrant startups as a sustainable economic solution.
• Take steps to remove barriers (legal, administrative, or practical) faced by the target group so they have easier access to funding and programmes.
• Build bridges between existing entrepreneurial support organisations and providers of support for migrants.

The researchers also presented recommendations for professionals who provide support to entrepreneurs and startups. These include more awareness of providing inclusive support, and designing partnerships that involve industry players, financers and investors, and various organisations that work with migrants (cultural organisations, healthcare services, employment programmes).

Follow-up steps

The project team has been using the research outputs to develop a self-directed MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) for managers and professionals working in entrepreneurial support organisations. The course provides them with social and intercultural competences and technical expertise to better serve diverse migrant entrepreneurs. The project team is also developing an ‘Inclusive Incubator Handbook’ to provide policy-makers and practitioners with tools and methodologies to more effectively approach migrant entrepreneurs. These learning toolkits will be released in March 2023. The project has also featured several events to share research results, and there will be a final conference on 27-28 April 2023 in Bologna.