The Business Start-Up Centre provides practical training to students and graduates on how to establish small and medium commercial enterprises. The training includes modules on business plan writing, entrepreneurial skills, accounting and budgeting, project cycle management, local and international trade opportunities and skills which prepare the entrepreneur to operate in a competitive business environment. Promising course attendants will be selected through a regional business plan competition and be assisted by offering soft loans, small grants and technical assistance. Improved regional relations and increased trade in the SEE are essential for economic growth and stability in the Western Balkans. Throughout the region, unemployment under the younger generation is high which feeds dissatisfaction amongst idle youth and may eventually trigger social unrest as witnessed in 2004. SPARK has now established a BSC in Pristina in close co-operation with relevant associates in the SEE region. The expertise for setting up the centre is drawn from the existing BSC’s in the SEE-region and The Netherlands. BSC in Pristina is a full member of the regional BSC network.

The Business Start-up Centre Kosovo (BSCK) assists graduate students and young graduates of all faculties of all universities in Kosovo in establishing Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs). It offers practical training courses and consultancy as well as accessible micro-credits for the most promising business ideas. The overall objectives of the project activities are:

Strategic Project Goals:

• • To bring together the Higher Education sector and the Business sector in Kosovo in order to better meet the needs of the labor market
  • To contribute to the economic development in Kosovo;
  • To improve the regional trade and investment climate to accelerate European economic integration.

  Project objectives:

  • To establish a sustainable BSC in Pristina, drawing on expertise at existing BSCs in the Netherlands as well as in South East Europe;
  • To raise the entrepreneurial spirit among graduate students and recent graduates;
  • To strengthen links between the education and the business sector;
  • To develop training and SME support processes for the target group in close cooperation with EU and SEE experts and representatives of the business sector

  For more information, visit www.bsckosovo.org
  Results for 2006:

  	Number	# of participants	# of others involved
  1. Business Start-up Centre Offices established: A BSC office has been established at the Chamber of Commerce in Pristina, Kosovo	1		3 staff members hired
  2. Credit facility developed A credit facility especially designed for start ups has been developed together with our partner Kosovo Enterprise Program KEP)	1		1 international expert
  3. SEE Business Centre Coordination meetings In October the first regional conference on business start up support in the SEE region was organised by the BSC Kosovo together with the BSC Tuzla. 14 members from all over the SEE region signed a declaration of cooperation. A website was established http://www.sesnsi.biz/	1	20	BSC Tuzla, 14 SEE-members
  4. Business Plan Development trainings Implemented; The first Business Idea was organised, and the best 80 ideas received one-week's business plan writing training in Pristina.	1	80	2 experts, 4 trainers
  5. Kosovo-wide Business Plan competition organised. A Kosovo wide BPC-promotion was undertaken. This resulted in over 20.000 website hits and hundreds of downloaded BPC-forms. Eventually, 93 business plans were received.	1	90	Volunteers