International School of Green Business "Eco-Talk" - Competition of projects for 2020

March 30, 2020

International School of Green Business "Eco-Talk” is organized by the Institute of Natural Resources of the Kazakh-German University with support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in partnership with the Central Asian Youth for Water (CAY4W) Network and International Secretariat for Water, Canada (ISW) and The Regional Coordination and Support for the EU-Central Asia Enhanced Regional Cooperation on Environment, Climate Change and Water (WECOOP2) project.

 

Project topics under consideration:

• clean water and water conservation,

• renewable energy,

• closed-loop economics - technical innovations in the field of sustainable production and consumption.

Application deadline: May 1, 2020

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What is Eco-Talk:

International School of Green Business “Eco-Talk” is an educational program for students and young entrepreneurs who want to develop their eco-business from scratch or make their existing business more environmentally friendly, with the possibility of obtaining expert and grant support based on international and regional experience.

 

Who can participate:

• Students of all specialties (from undergraduate to doctoral studies);

• Young and novice entrepreneurs (under 35 years old).

 

Which countries can participate:

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

 

Requirements for applicants:

• The applicant can be either one person or a team of two or more people;

• Knowledge of English: Pre-intermediate (A2-B1) - preferably;

• It is desirable that the business project includes elements of eco-innovation for the Central Asian region;

• The project must be realistic and in demand in the market.

 

What the program consists of:

• 3 practical webinars on finalizing and designing your eco-business idea;

• 2-week summer school in Almaty on the basis of KNU with the participation of leading international experts from the European Union;

• 3-month online coaching in the field of green finance and practical business skills to help develop and test your business in the market;

• The ability to receive grant support for the best projects;

• An opportunity to establish contacts and partnerships in one’s country and in the Central Asian region.

 

What will the training program be about:

• Types of green business models;

• A review of European experience in the field of green technology and innovation;

• Practical project management skills;

• Key business skills (marketing, sales, budgeting, planning);

• Financing opportunities, tools, resources;

• Main trends, solutions and opportunities for green business in Central Asia.

 

Stages of the educational program:

Stage 1:

Collection of applications

March 18 - May 1, 2020

Stage 2

Preliminary selection of applications and conducting a series of webinars (2-3 webinars) to finalize business ideas

May 2020

Stage 3

Final selection of participants of the Green Business School in Central Asia June 2020

June 2020

Stage 4

2-week summer green business school in Central Asia

Jule 2020

Stage 5

3-month online coaching of green business projects

September - November 2020

Stage 6

Grants for the three best green projects *

December 2020

*The size of grants will depend on the quality of projects and range from 500 to 3,000 US dollars.

 

Topics of business projects:

• clean water and water conservation,

• renewable energy,

•closed-loop economics - technical innovations in the field of sustainable production and consumption.

 

Organizers:

The Institute of Natural Resources of the Kazakh-German University with support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in partnership with the Central Asian Youth for Water (CAY4W) Network and International Secretariat for Water, Canada (ISW), and The Regional Coordination and Support for the EU-Central Asia Enhanced Regional Cooperation on Environment, Climate Change and Water (WECOOP2) project.

 

Please send completed applications by May 1, 2020 at the following link: https://forms.gle/WHSeDDVcqERsfM5E6

 

You can ask all additional questions at the following contacts:

Maria Genina, Project Coordinator, Kazakh-German University - [email protected]

Ernest Sirotin, Project Assistant, Kazakh-German University - [email protected]