The 3rd Call for the Employment-Focused Cooperative Grant Program has been announced within the scope of the ENHANCER (Improving Entrepreneurship Capacities for Sustainable Socio-Economic Cohesion) Project, funded by the European Union and carried out by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) under the coordination of the Ministry of Industry and Technology General Directorate of Development Agencies.

Within the call program, a total of 2,700,000 Euros in grants is planned to be provided for the growth of strong, promising cooperatives and cooperative unions operating in Adana, Ankara, Bursa, Gaziantep, Hatay, Istanbul, Izmir, Kayseri, Mersin, and Şanlıurfa provinces, including Konya, thereby enabling them to create sustainable employment for Syrians under temporary protection and host community members.

In a statement made by Mevlana Development Agency regarding the announced call program, it was said, “The ENHANCER Project is funded by the European Union and carried out by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) under the coordination of the Ministry of Industry and Technology General Directorate of Development Agencies. The main objective of the ENHANCER Project is to enable Syrians under temporary protection and host communities to create sustainable business avenues and employment areas for themselves by undergoing capacity development programs in specific fields, thus ensuring their inclusion in business life. As with previous grant programs, Konya is among the 11 provinces where this call program for cooperatives will be implemented. Within the ENHANCER Project, approximately 35 Million TL support in current figures has been provided to a total of 17 projects for public institutions and organizations, non-governmental organizations, and private sector organizations in Konya to date, under the headings of Common Use Facility Grants, Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Institution Grants, and Employment-Focused SME Grant Programs. Within the 3rd Call of the recently announced Employment-Focused Cooperative Grant Program, a total of 2.7 Million Euros in grants is planned to be provided for the growth of cooperatives operating in Adana, Ankara, Bursa, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kayseri, Istanbul, Izmir, Mersin, and Şanlıurfa provinces, including Konya, thereby enabling them to create sustainable employment for those under temporary protection and Turkish citizens. Among the priorities of the call program are; creating sustainable employment for those under temporary protection and Turkish citizens, ensuring the participation of those under temporary protection in the Turkish economy through sustainable employment, increasing the quantity of registered employment opportunities, scaling up production by improving resource efficiency and inclusive recruitment of new members or employees, and digitalizing business processes through inclusive recruitment of new members or employees. Cooperatives can receive grants between 40 and 110 Thousand Euros for projects found eligible within the call program and expected to last between 6 and 8 months, and can finance up to 95% of project costs. The deadline for the said grant program is October 31, 2024. A high volume of project applications is expected from our cooperatives located in our city within the 3rd Call of the Employment-Focused Cooperative Grant Program to attract international resources to the region. Details about the call program and application information can be accessed via the link https://enhancerproject.com/istihdam-yaratma-odakli-kooperatif-hibe-programi-3-hibe-cagrisi/.”