Supporting social enterprises in Saxony-Anhalt
On 2 December 2019 numerous stakeholders discussed funding for social enterprises in Saxony-Anhalt at a transnational workshop in the Merseburg Innovation and Technology Centre (mitz). The event was organised by the Investitionsbank Sachsen-Anhalt and the Merseburg Innovation and Technology Centre in the EU project DelFin.
The aim of the project is to promote social entrepreneurship in rural regions and to develop concrete recommendations for action. For this purpose, financial and funding instruments as well as consulting services were discussed, which are particularly suitable for actors in the rural areas of Saxony-Anhalt. Francesca Buonanno, Fondazione Giacomo Brodolini, presented a loan programme that includes services for social entrepreneurs in addition to financing. There were also presentations on the promotion of social innovation and support for social entrepreneurs in rural areas.
Social enterprises realize business ideas that not only generate financial profit but also make a positive contribution to society and the environment. In order to promote these social enterprises and their special business models, financing and consulting services must be further developed. These are to be tested in a pilot programme from spring 2020.
The regional partners, who were also present at the workshop, come from the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Integration and the Ministry of Economics, Science and Digitisation of Saxony-Anhalt, the Saalekreis and Merseburg University of Applied Sciences.
