Design Entrepreneurship Incubator Programme

ABOUT THE GOETHE-INSTITUT


The Goethe-Institut is the Federal Republic of Germany’s worldwide cultural institute, promoting German language abroad and cultivating international cultural cooperation. The Goethe-Institut Libanon is implementing since 2019 the project FANTASMEEM which adopts a holistic approach towards supporting the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) in Lebanon, with a focus on design. This involves capacity building, fostering cultural/social/environmental entrepreneurship, and encouraging collaborations and knowledge sharing in the country and across the MENA Region.


CONTEXT OF THE PROGRAMME


The Covid-19 pandemic has put the businesses and livelihoods of many cultural and creative entrepreneurs in Lebanon at risk. In response to this emergency, the Goethe-Institut Libanon, within the framework of the project FANTASMEEM, is planning to implement a hybrid or fully online (depending on the health sanitary restrictions) incubator programme dedicated to young and mid-career cultural and creative professionals in the field of design as well as social entrepreneurs active in the CCI in Lebanon, in order to contribute to building their resilience and responsiveness in a time of profound challenges and crisis.


OVERALL GOAL


The Design Entrepreneurship Incubator Programme is intended to support up to 50 design freelancers, creative professionals, and social entrepreneurs in the CCI sector in Lebanon, who have a business model idea or an early-stage start-up, and whose sources of income have been severely affected by the pandemic or the economic crisis in the country. Over the period of 2.5 - 3 months, the selected participants will receive a monthly stipend and participate in intensive training and mentoring sessions in order to strengthen their skills to be able to define and scale up their business model ideas or early-stage social start-ups, to enhance their resilience to overcome challenges in a sustainable way, and to improve their prospects for employment and income within the CCI in Lebanon.

 

WHO CAN APPLY?

1. Design freelancers and creative professionals from all fields of design who have a business model idea and in need of skills to adjust and scale up their idea

OR

2. Social entrepreneurs with an early-stage start-up in the CCI sector in Lebanon, who wish to sustain and expand their business activities


Women creative professionals, both freelancers and entrepreneurs, are highly encouraged to apply.


PROGRAMME COMPONENTS 


Over the period of 2.5–3 months, from mid-August up to mid-November, the curriculum-based and mentoring-driven incubator programme will be delivered in intensive schedules to two parallel cohorts (100–120 hours/cohort) consisting of training sessions, capacity building workshops, and customized mentoring and coaching sessions (individually or in small groups). November will mostly mark the closing phase of the programme, during which final reports, evaluations, and pending programme requirements might be requested from the participants to receive their certificates. Both English and Arabic will be used interchangeably throughout the programme activities. The curriculum includes (but would not be limited to) the following components:

  1. Business Ideation and Models for Creative Enterprises (e.g. Customer & BeneficiaryUnderstanding, Product Strategy and Design, etc.)
  2. Green and Social Entrepreneurial Skills (e.g. Impact Measurement and Management)
  3. Sustainable and Resilient Business Development (e.g. Circular Economy, Circular Design Thinking, Digital Innovations in Sustainable Design, Business Case & Sustainable Finance etc.)
  4. Visibility and Communication (e.g. Storytelling & Pitching for sustainable investor relations)

Additional core components that participants would benefit from in the programme are Networking and Community Building Opportunities, as well as Communication and Visibility Measures to promote the start-ups and entrepreneurs taking part in the programme.

 

MONTHLY STIPEND


Participants will receive a monthly stipend (for 2.5-3 months) as financial support to maintain their livelihoods during the programme period. The monthly stipend will be in the range of 450 EUR to 700 EUR per participant (the amount will be determined later). Pre-requisites for receiving the monthly stipend:

  • All participants are required to actively participate and attend all programme teaching and coaching modules and related activities, as well as complete all required assignments.
  • In case of dropping out during the course of the programme, the stipend will be suspended and will not be allocated for only partially attended months.
Call Type
Call for Trainings
Organisation
Goethe-Institut Libanon
Intervention Sectors
Culture
Social & Cultural Development
Training & Capacity Building
How to Apply

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPANTS

  • Based in Lebanon and active in any field of design
  • Having at least 2 years of work experience as design or creative professional or as social entrepreneur
  • Having developed a business model idea OR qualifying as early-stage social or green start-up within the CCI sector in Lebanon
  • Whose source of income and/or capacity to maintain business activities have been severely affected by the pandemic and the economic crisis in Lebanon
  • Not receiving financial support or scholarship from other sources during the time covered by the stipend, nor benefiting from other parallel Goethe-Institut Libanon’s programmes
  • Not being a full-time employee with a company other than your own start-up (if any) and not receiving a regular monthly or yearly income for the time of the course
  • Being willing and able to fully commit for a period of 2.5–3 months between August and November 2021, for an intensive curriculum-based and mentoring-driven incubator programme

Preference will be given to applicants who have not previously benefited from Goethe-Institut Libanon’s programmes or funding in the field of CCI.

 

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
 

Applications are to be completed and submitted with all required documents by August 1, 2021 via an online application portal. Link to apply: GAP-Application-FANTASMEEM

Please upload the following documents in your online application. The documents should be in PDF format and must not exceed 10MB/document. Documents are accepted in either English or Arabic languages (preferably in English if possible).

1. Portfolio or start-up presentation – either a) or b) – including:

a) For design freelancers and creative professionals: previous activities/projects performed in the last 2 years, with a focus on design (all fields of design), as proof of experience in the CCI in Lebanon.

OR

b) For social entrepreneurs: presentation of your start-up and its history in relevance to the CCI, mentioning its potential positive social and economic impact in the CCI sector in Lebanon (e.g. impact, objectives, partners, and achievements)

2. CV: mentioning the qualification and capacity building programmes you previously took part in

3. A short description of your business model idea or start-up – either a) or b)

a) A short description of the business model idea you have (max 1 page) and how far you are in the ideation process, along with a draft budget (if any)

OR

b) A short description (max 1 page) of your existing early-stage social start-up including a detailed timeline and business plan/ budget

4. Motivation Letter (max. 1 Page) including:

  • Description of the professional situation OR start-up development in the context of the current crisis in Lebanon; how your income and business activities were affected by the crisis, and sources of optimism to overcome it with your business model idea or start-up.
  • If you are a design freelancer or creative professional with a business model idea, how do you think this programme would help you define and scale up your idea? And what would you wish to learn from this programme? OR If you are a social entrepreneur with an early-stage start-up, how do you think this programme would help you maintain or expand your early-stage start-up in the CCI in Lebanon? What would you wish to learn from this programme? And how do you plan to commit to the programme without putting your business at risk?

The Goethe-Institut Libanon reserves the right to suspend the stipend award and require reimbursement upon realizing fraud or infringement in any of the submitted documents.

 

SELECTION PROCESS

  • Applications that are incomplete, sent after the deadline, or not submitted through the portal will not be assessed. Only complete applications submitted online before the deadline will be taken into consideration. Candidates might be asked for additional documentation after the reception of the application.
  • A committee of jurors will evaluate all the complete applications and select the final participants.
  • Only selected applicants will be contacted.

Please check the PDFs attached for more information. For inquiries, please contact FANTASMEEM team at fantasmeem-beirut@goethe.de until July 30, 2021.

Deadline
Countries
Lebanon