BUSINESS-02: Community-Led Social Entrepreneurship

GEN Europe (Global Ecovillage Network Europe) is a European network of over 100 ecovillages and community-led initiatives working at the crossroads of sustainability, social innovation, and participatory governance. Our members are living laboratories of place-based social entrepreneurship, regenerative neighbourhood development, and commons-based economies.

Our Contribution:

• Grassroots innovation ecosystems: GEN Europe supports ecovillages and community initiatives that incubate bottom-up enterprises in areas such as sustainable construction, renewable energy, local food systems, education, and care services.

• Social economy know-how: Many members operate housing cooperatives, land trusts, renewable energy collectives, and timebanks—offering replicable models for solidarity-based and circular economies at neighbourhood scale.

• Community-led co-creation: We bring deep experience in participatory planning and design processes, empowering residents to shape their neighbourhoods through social business, shared governance, and cultural creativity.

• Policy and scaling: GEN Europe contributes to shaping supportive policy environments for community-led development, and can support replication and policy transfer through its transnational learning network.

• Education and dissemination: Through learning centres and partnerships, we offer training, mentoring, and exchange formats for emerging social entrepreneurs and municipal stakeholders across Europe.

GEN Europe is seeking to join a consortium as a partner contributing field-tested examples, co-creation methodologies, entrepreneurial capacity building, and stakeholder engagement. Our mission aligns closely with the NEB principles of sustainability, inclusion, and beauty—grounded in real communities.

For more information, visit www.gen-europe.org