GTL – Green Tec Labs
This project is completed. Establishing support structures and an international network for green start-ups in Greece, Spain and Slovakia.
Economy Just Transition Sustainable Economy
Project info
Greece, Slovakia, Spain
11/20 - 02/23
Educational institutions, Local governments, Private sector
896,743.47 €
Contact info
Silke Steinberg
- FIAP - Research institute for Innovative and Preventive Job Design e.V.
- Asociación de Investigación y Cooperación Industrial de Andalucía (AICIA)
- City Council of Cadiz
- Deutsch-Griechische Industrie- und Handelskammer (AHK Griechenland)
- PEDAL Consulting
Background
The target regions (Athens and Crete in Greece, Andalusia in Spain and Nitra in Slovakia) are experiencing a comprehensive structural change as well as a structurally weak labour market. The development of new services and business ideas has the potential to create new, green jobs while at the same time supporting consumers in the use of climate-friendly technologies. To advance this process, it is essential to support young people in these regions in shaping structural change into new labour markets.
Active participants in a GreenTec Workshop, Photo: ©FIAP
Project
To achieve this, the project supported green start-ups and project ideas, addressing creative young people with technical competences who are interested in or motivated for green ideas. It particularly encouraged young women to develop and implement green business ideas.
The project established local, mobile and virtual labs which offer competence development and technical expertise for entrepreneurship. This included support in developing business ideas and professional ‘green’ competences, in legal issues and innovation management, as well as in developing green proposals for funding programmes. Furthermore, the labs offered trainings in network management, including knowledge exchange, cluster formation, co-creative cooperation management and peer coaching through existing green enterprises.
Another measure implemented by the project was to set up a transcultural “GreenTecLab” in the form of an interactive, virtual coworking platform. The platform featured virtual conferences, meetings, training courses and individual consultations in order to establish a network and knowledge exchange between and among the European partners and potential founders in the target regions.
Results
- As part of the project, 51 green start-ups were supported in their development. At the end of the project, 14 initiatives have launched their product or service and at least three more are planning to launch their companies in 2023
- Establishment of sustainable support structures for green start-ups in the virtual, local and mobile labs
- Four memoranda have been signed with local, regional and national network partners to continue the labs and support the start-ups and projects
Last update: July 2025