APPLYING FOR SI 4: DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGE Support for enterprise creation or other forms of entrepreneurial activity among older people The objective of Senior Enterprise is an increase in the economic contribution of older people to their local communities through a variety of means: starting new businesses alone or with others. investing in or acquiring businesses started by others. or by advising or supporting innovation in SMEs. This projects ambition reflects a refreshingly positive approach which sees people aged 50+ as a resource to be empowered rather than as a burden Through an orchestrated awareness campaign. the strategic impact of this initiative will be wider than the number of persons directly engaged and will go beyond the locality. At the end of the pilot. the fully tested initiative will be ready to attract further funding. as the best practice model will be transferable and will be of interest to policy makers responsible for enterprise and demographic change The current economic downturn sees pressure on employment and pensions for older people. Entrepreneurship and engagement with enterprise provides a means for these individuals to continue to be gainfully employed while providing a range of other economic and personal benefits. The initiative will develop and test. in a number of transnational contexts. suitable means of tapping into the knowledge. skills and resource base that exist among older age groups (50+) in order to increase the number of new enterprises being started and as a means of strengthening new and existing SMEs. The activity directly links to the Lisbon and Gothenberg agendas and is expected to have long term impact. As a result of the initiative. older citizens will be encouraged to remain active. contribute to the development of vibrant communities and engage across the generations. A real contribution will be made to strengthening growth. competitiveness and innovation across the NWE area. Achievements: Senior Enterprise proved itself to be innovative in approach and effective in implementation.The number of new businesses that have been established with the support of Senior Enterprise reached over 1 000, almost three times the original target.A high level objective of Senior Enterprise was to raise awareness among policy makers, of the potential of those aged 50 and over to engage with enterprise. The EU 2020 Entrepreneurship Action Plan highlighted the potential of Seniors as a valuable resource for entrepreneurship and Senior entrepreneurs as a valuable resource for other entrepreneurs. In particular, the holistic approach by Senior Enterprise to getting greater engagement by those aged 50 and over with enterprise was praised: Europe could take inspiration from programmes such as 'Senior Enterprise' (Ireland).Involvement by key influencers, high level politicians and policy makers in Senior Enterprise Events at European, National and Regional level, examples include: In the UK, PRIME participated in a round table event of key influencers, hosted by HRH Prince Charles (June 2013). This was followed by the Celebrating Enterprise event in September in which HRH met Senior Enterprise partners and a number of those aged 50+ who had received support in setting up their new businesses. In Ireland, the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton, opened the Senior Enterprise Forum. A senior representative of DG Enterprise also spoke at the Forum. In Brittany (France), Alain Cadec, a local MEP, arranged for the final Senior Enterprise conference to be held in the European Parliament Building. He chaired the event, which was attended by a great number of MEPs, from the three countries and representatives of the CommissionSenior Enterprise in the News: National Television Ireland: A full programme of Nationwide was dedicated Senior Enterprise on national television (RTE) in Ireland. The 25 minute programme was broadcast in Jan 2014, after the early evening news. This broadcast was subsequently seen by many in Europe and a link to the programme was placed on the website of the South East European Centre for Entrepreneurship Learning (SEECEL) National Television France: The French national TV channel France3 broadcast a feature at national and regional level during the lunchtime and evening news