“Futurae. Migrant Enterprise Programme” was set up by the collaboration between the Directorate General for Immigration and Integration Policies of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies and Unioncamere and is dedicated to the knowledge and promotion of migrant entrepreneurship.
The first edition of the program came to an end in November 2022. It was financed with 3.200.820,00 euros from the Migration Policies National Fund. On the national level, the programme established an “Observatory on socio-economic and financial inclusion of businesses run by migrants” with the publication of a report and an interactive dashboard on the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies’ website and the Migrant Integration Portal (Portale Integrazione Migranti). Moreover, it has fostered the emergence of migrant enterprises through orientation, training, and coaching courses for aspiring entrepreneurs arranged by the Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Agriculture and Handicrafts.
More than 1600 migrants participated in the orientation activities, at least 600 took part in training courses, and about 400 were accompanied in developing their business plans. The companies activated in the framework of the first edition of Futurae are 66.
In December 2022, a new edition of Futurae has started with the following objectives:
- Favouring the access of migrant citizens to the Chambers of Commerce thanks to dedicated services and tools, as well as information and awareness-raising activities, achievable in cooperation with migrant associations and associations working on behalf of migrants;
- Promoting the establishment of new businesses by migrants or the start-up of self-employment and freelance activities by migrants through orientation, training and start-up coaching, with a particular focus on female participation;
- Supporting migrant entrepreneurs in accessing credit, thanks to accompanying services on national, regional, and local financing opportunities and awareness-raising activities with credit institutions;
- Implementing knowledge tools on migrant entrepreneurship.
This edition will last 24 months, will be financed through 1,5 million euros from the Migration Policies National Fund, and will be realized in cooperation with the Chamber of Commerce of Rome, Milan, Lodi, Monza and Brianza, Turin, Bari, Verona and Pavia, together with Si.Camera, Infocamere and IFOA.