Study Visits Armenia / Italy

Strengthen transnational business relationships in the textile sector and access support services and matchmaking opportunities.

Reserve your seat Terms & recruitment

Promoted by

The joint policy initiative Eastern Partnership – EaP

The Eastern Partnership aims to deepen and strengthen relations between the EU, its Member States and its six Eastern neighbours: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.

Reserve your seat

Are you engaged in the textile sector in Armenia or Italy?

Are you interested in strengthening transnational business relationships?

Are you interested in receiving support to boost your business?

Don’t miss the opportunity to join the Study Visits in Armenia and Italy to strengthen business cooperation in the textile industries.

BSOs and companies interested in transnational business exchanges are invited to apply for a seat reservation.

16 participants from Italy and Armenia.

6 SMEs owners based in Italy (Study Visit in Armenia)
6 SMEs owners based in Armenia (Study Visit in Italy)
4 BSOs based in Italy or Armenia interested in partnerships
English language B2 level required
Business based in Italy or Armenia

Participation is covered by the Textwin project funded by Eurochambres – EU4BC (travel and subsistence fully covered). PIN and ERDSC take care of organisation and logistics.

* Small and Medium Enterprise
** Business Support Organisation

Go to learn.skillman.eu/enrol/index.php?id=145 and login/sign-up to access the Moodle course.
Submit the Admission Questionnaire available in the course resources.
If approved, a 100€ guarantee deposit is required before flight ticket issuing.
Travel agency handles booking and sends tickets and accommodation details.
Comply with any travel regulations and required documents.
Partners tutor beneficiaries during the Study Visit.

Seat reservation: important information

Keep receipts/boarding passes; upload them in the course or email secretariat@skillman.eu.
Deposit is returned within 15 days after the event (to beneficiaries’ bank account).

No-show: penalties charged (except force majeure).
Admitted travel costs: air/train/bus-train only (taxi not admitted).
No refund for expenses not authorised in advance.

Programme

Preliminary meetings

First meeting: scheduling + setup
Second meeting: focus & adapt to feedback
Third meeting: narrow down to best elements

Innovative services

1-day coaching in Armenia
1-day coaching in Italy
Joint online meeting for fine-tuning

Piloting

Feedback gathering & analysis
1-day coaching per service
5 business meetings + online survey

Study visit to Armenia

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Study visit to Italy

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Learning outcomes

SKILLS

Exchanging and cooperating with peer entrepreneurs
Understanding trade environment and investment opportunities in EaP countries
Understanding innovation factors
Focusing on innovative trends in skills and technologies
Managing cooperation between transnational companies
Sharing local or international projects and initiatives that can act as a vehicle to encourage mutual exchanges between the two countries
Understanding the opportunities of the joint policy initiative Eastern Partnership – EaP
Valorising / taking advantage from transnational channels and networks such as the Enterprise Europe Network and the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs Programme
Understanding and valorising transnational exchanges as a tool for business

KNOWLEDGE

Communication channels
Information that the other entrepreneurs expect to receive
Trade characteristics
Market opportunities
EaP countries characteristics
Innovation definitions and factors connected to the textile market

Connecting Companies

Armenia has a strong heritage and experience in the clothing, footwear, textile, and leather sectors. After some decades of severe economic challenges, the textile and clothing sector showed steady growth: the level of production in 2020 compared to 2016 increased by almost 2.5 times, relying mostly on exports: according to the UN Comtrade Database, its dollar value in 2020 totaled $1.52 million and $131.16 million respectively, seeing the Russian Federation, Italy, and Germany as the top three destinations, accounting for 93% of all the exports.

The fashion industry plays a big part in Italy’s economy and the country is recognized worldwide for its high-quality products. The traditional success factor of the Italian textile industry is the ability to combine innovation, fashion, and creative style with production technologies.

The general aim of the TEXTWIN project is to open new transnational business opportunities and build a permanent partnership between EU and EaP’s SMEs and Business Supporting Organizations, having a keen and common interest in the textile sector.

This ultimate objective will be achieved by establishing direct links between SMEs and BSOs from Tuscany (Italy) and Armenia through study visits and Peer-to-Peer coaching, enabling representatives from both countries to share specific know-how and best practices, thus encouraging the development of new products/services and innovations.

During the project’s life, other services will also be developed and implemented to facilitate the networking process between the two countries: a Self-Assessment Tool for market analysis and SMEs import/export, and TEXTWIN online platform for B2B matching.