FEM-Up project addresses a meaningful social issue affecting all Europe, significantly limiting its economic-social growth at global level. In Europe female entrepreneurship and STEM sectors still present barriers that discourage women’s inclusion.
According to relevant EU researches, women constitute almost 52% of the total European population and 59% of first level graduates, but only 40% of people employed as scientists and engineers (EC “She Figures 2021 report”). Furthermore, only 34% of the self-employed are women, 31% of those working as start-up entrepreneurs. According to the 2016/2017 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report on female entrepreneurship, only 29% of women in the world consider themselves with the necessary skills and knowledge to successfully start a business, compared to 42% of men.
In this framework, FEM-Up establishes in 6 different countries (SI, IT, ES, GR, TR, MT) a specific Academy as a supportive environment to encourage young women via a mentoring program to facilitate learning, networking and career progression of young female innovators/entrepreneurs, with a strong emphasis on the gender dimension.
FEM-Up project aims to inspire and encourage young women (mainly between 18-30 years old) to overcome social and cultural barriers showing their creative and innovative side in STEM disciplines and entrepreneurship, putting it into practice through their involvement in a training and contest pathway that will bring them to concretely develop their own innovative ideas. In the long run the objective is to contribute to the increase of female entrepreneurship in Europe.
Bringing support to women’s innovation and economic empowerment both through work-based educational pathways, and by providing women with real entrepreneurial support, facilitating the development of their entrepreneurial skills, and promoting gender equity via actions that push for the employment of women in innovative business areas and tackle unconscious biases regarding female entrepreneurship and leadership.
