Bridging Academia and Social Entrepreneurship

On 19th of April, ARNO organized an event at the Faculty of Informatics – ”Mother Teresa” University in Skopje to establish the first collaboration and joint activity with the University. Founded in 2016, The Mother Teresa University in Skopje has a mission to foster academic growth for students, by equipping them with critical thinking skills and an entrepreneurial mindset to navigate an ever-changing global landscape and shape their future.

The Event showcased the transformative EICEE project – the Western Balkan Eco Innovation and Circular Economy Ecosystem. Led by ARNO, the activity brought together academia, professors and aspiring student- entrepreneurs to explore the intersection of sustainability and social impact.

Antonio Danilovski’s presentation on the EICEE project highlighted its mission to revolutionize practices in the Western Balkans through eco-innovation and circular economy strategies. He introduced the National Research Paper, linking basic concepts of circular economy with social enterprise potentials, digital product passport, EU strategies, and other key findings from the project.

Marjan Icoski and Irina Janevska from ARNO provided valuable insights into Social Entrepreneurship, emphasizing the importance of Design Thinking in shaping impactful business ideas. Their discussions on greening the social economy and circular economy principles further enriched the dialogue.

The event concluded with an exploration of funding opportunities, including the Green Ideas Competition, open until May 6th, the EICEE call, open until May 27th, and the upcoming RISE VI Journey opening in September. By bridging academia with social innovation, today’s gathering not only fostered knowledge exchange but also ignited a passion for driving positive environmental and social impact.