The Malta Business Bureau announces the launch of its new Erasmus+ Knowledge Alliances Project, entitled DIFME – Digital, Internationalisation and Financial Literacy Skills for Micro Entrepreneurs. Through linking Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to Businesses across Europe, the project aims to develop a cooperative learning model that will strengthen the financial and digital skills of entrepreneurs – enabling them to widen their networks and internationalise.

Commenting on this achievement, MBB CEO Joe Tanti emphasised that rapid economic growth has made it crucial for business and academia to come together and address some of the underlying challenges. He added that, “Following the leading roles that we have assumed in past and ongoing European projects, it is my pleasure to note that the MBB has once again been entrusted with the strategic leadership and implementation of a three-year, Erasmus+ Knowledge Alliances project. Supported by five leading European HEIs and five private bodies, the MBB will strive to ensure that this project boosts the quality and relevance of higher education, particularly within the field of entrepreneurship”.

Once existing gaps in the skills of entrepreneurs are formally identified, DIFME will set out to develop a set of financial and digital competences, adapted to the real needs of the industry. These fundamental competences intend to be integrated in a curriculum and uploaded on an e-learning platform.

As the project consortium believes that there is significant value in enabling entrepreneurs to engage in meaningful dialogue with their peers, DIFME will simultaneously work towards the creation of an ‘SME Hub’ that will not only provide entrepreneurs with access to the e-learning platform, but also promote a long-term partnership between representatives of academic, educational and business bodies based in different European countries.

For more information on the DIFME project and its activities, please visit here or contact the Malta Business Bureau on info@mbb.org.mt.

The DIFME Project, co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union, is led by the Malta Business Bureau and run by a consortium made up of eleven organisations in Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Malta and the Netherlands. Locally, the Malta Business Bureau is working closely with The Edward De Bono Institute at the University of Malta.