Entrepreneurs who want to create a new company in the municipalities of Sines and Santiago do Cacém can present their business idea to the Nau program as of this Friday, July 30th. The initiative launched by EDP is aimed at all the residents of the two municipalities and aims to enhance an entire ecosystem for the development of business projects or the creation of self-employment, involving training and consultancy, specialized technical support and business Incubation.

With the goal of creating new companies, the Nau program will also enhance the access to funds for starting small businesses. Applications can be submitted until the end of August through the website of Sines Tecnopolo, which is the partner entity and responsible for implementing the Nau. In the selection process, which will be completed in September, various criteria will be evaluated, prioritizing the projects proposed by former workers at the Sines thermoelectric plant, which closed in January this year. 

Selected entrepreneurs will also have access to 12 training modules on topics such as strategy definition, operations and human resources management or marketing. In addition, they will have specialized monitoring during the first two years of the company's life, in order to enhance their chances of success. A supporting work that will be decisive in structuring the business plan, in assessing legal requirements and other challenges, especially in this initial phase of the new business.

This management of the Nau program will be in charge of the Sines Tecnopolo, a reference entity for project Incubation in the Alentejo, and certified at European level by the European Business and Innovation Center Network. A partnership with EDP that extends to other projects in the region, such as the GLES (Local Office for Social Routing) – an initiative launched this year, in collaboration with the Câmara de Sines, the IEFP and the Santa Casa da Misericórdia Sines, to help the local population to identify professional, training and entrepreneurship opportunities, among other alternatives that could generate jobs.

The Nau program is, in fact, one of several initiatives developed by EDP in the region, together with local entities, under the 'Futuro Ativo Sines'. A strategy that operates in three priority areas: social action, development, employment and entrepreneurship, and the attractiveness through culture.
 

Nau Entrepreneurship Program
Applications: through the Sines Tecnopolo website (or its Facebook page)
Link: www.sinestecnopolo.org
Date:july 30 to august 25 2021