„Although migrant entrepreneurs start businesses significantly more often than the native population, they are often unable to realise their full potential due to fragmented support systems, limited access to financing and structural discrimination. Rural areas and regions affected by population decline, in particular, therefore miss out on important drivers of innovation, employment, and local development. CONNECT addresses this issue by shifting the focus from isolated start-up programmes to a structural, ecosystem-based approach that systematically aligns local and regional infrastructures with the needs of migrant-owned businesses. The project operates in various regions of north-west Europe, including Bremen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Île-de-France, West Flanders, Wallonia, Northern and Western Ireland, South Holland and Overijssel.

CONNECT combines systematic mapping of regional support ecosystems and comparative analysis with transnational co-creation. The result is a 'Joint Strategy for Inclusive ME Support in NWE', which strengthens the role of migrant-owned businesses in labour market, innovation, and cohesion policies. Central to the implementation is a Train-the-Trainer programme which provides staff from government agencies, business development organisations, start-up support services and NGOs with training in financing, network building, anti-discrimination and mentoring. A transnational Community of Practice facilitates the exchange of experiences and ensures the sustainability of the project's outcomes.

The project involves developing a joint strategy, a Train-the-Trainer programme with training materials, and a practice-oriented action plan called 'ConnectAction', which provides transferable steps for inclusive support ecosystems. Graduates of the programme act as multipliers in their regions. CONNECT is coordinated by the Institute for Work and Technology (IAT) and runs for 36 months. It is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the Interreg North-West Europe programme.“