Romanian Sustainability Academy program is expanding in Central and Eastern Europe, becoming available for SMEs in Bulgaria, Serbia and Croatia, in their national languages. SMEs in Bulgaria, Croatia and Serbia now have access to a market tested and proven self-paced e-learning platform that aims to cover all the local business sustainability needs. The platform, called the Sustainability Academy, was launched in 2023 in Romania by Social Innovation Solutions.
In the first 12 months since its launch, more than 13.000 Romanian SMEs registered on the platform. Starting today, following a coordinated regional investment in content development, marketing and local partnerships, the Academy becomes available to Bulgarian, Serbian and Croatian SMEs, in national languages.
This expansion of the platform comes as result of an ever-increasing demand from business to adopt sustainability practices in order to align with ongoing EU regulations and to capitalize on the opportunities that new sustainability demands bring.
”For the past 5 years we have seen entrepreneurs becoming more interested in the relationship between sustainability-derived concepts and the future of their business. Our experience in Romania and the feedback from local partners in Bulgaria, Serbia and Croatia gives us strong reasons to believe that the Sustainability Academy will quickly become the go-to resource for this important piece of knowledge.” said Ciprian Stănescu, President of Social Innovation Solutions.
The platform will feature 2 main courses this year and it will expand its resources gradually and according to the specific business needs of each country.
The first course is “Introduction in Sustainability” and the main benefit for the SMEs that finish it is that they will be able to build their first sustainability strategy based on the accumulated know-how and the documents and templates provided.
The second course is focusing on “Sustainability in the HoReCa industry”. This is the first in a series of courses developed around certain key industries and takes a deeper dive into the specific needs of HoReCa SMEs, promotes relevant local study cases and offers curated information based on key experts’ insights, local and international.
The Sustainability Academy in Bulgaria, Serbia and Croatia is part of a larger regional Program called “Sustainable Futures” which aims to prepare SMEs for key future challenges. Besides the Academy, SMEs will have the possibility to join “TRANSFORMATOR”, a 3-months intensive transformative program that assists them in transforming their business model to a more sustainable one. Applications for the program are opening later in June, with the program taking place during the 2024 fall.
“We are excited about the Sustainable Futures program, that enables MSMSs in Croatia, Serbia, and Bulgaria to have access to knowledge and meaningful networks. We believe that programs such as this, contribute valuable educational resources and partnerships to facilitate companies and achieve a more sustainable future for all, and we are pleased to contribute towards this success”, noted Carlos Pagoaga, President, The Coca-Cola Foundation, which supported the initiative.
The partner supporting the Social Innovation Solutions team to connect SMEs to the platform in Bulgaria is Cleantech, a forward-thinking business network that is at the cutting edge of innovation, sustainable development, and clean technologies. They are dedicated to act as a reliable partner to the public sector, businesses, government agencies, and academic institutions while also stimulating new ideas. The main activity of the organization is concentrated around provision of consulting and financing for innovative enterprises, start-ups support and access to an international network of experts, partners, clients, and investors.
Expansion in Croatia will be facilitated by The Croatian Office for Creativity and Innovation (HUKI) an organization dedicated to promoting entrepreneurship, innovation, sustainability and social development. Every year, HUKI implements more than 20 projects and year-round programs aimed at various social groups. Through these projects, HUKI engages over 10,000 direct users and more than 100,000 indirect users annually, both in Croatia and abroad. The total annual reach of all HUKI projects exceeds 2,000,000 people.
The Sustainability Academy will be localized in Serbia with the help of Smart Kolektiv, a civil society organization (CSO) founded in 2003, and a pioneer in promoting corporate social responsibility (CSR) and social entrepreneurship in Serbia. Since 2008, Smart Kolektiv has managed the Responsible Business Forum, the first network of socially responsible companies in Serbia (encompassing 30 large companies), promoted social responsibility and implementation of ESG principles in the business sector, while stimulating partnerships between social enterprises and mainstream businesses (both SMEs and large companies).
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