The VoWoCo – Volcanoes’ Women Co-creation project, launched in October 2025, supports women’s economic independence and entrepreneurial development. It is being implemented as part of the Erasmus+ program in cooperation with Hungarian, Portuguese, Italian, and Turkish partners.

The aim of the 28-month international program is to empower female entrepreneurs and women changing careers who are looking for a new direction in the world of work. VoWoCo supports women’s professional development and strengthens the network of European entrepreneurial communities through research, mentoring programs, and digital learning materials.

„Empowering women fuels thriving economies across the world. Through diversity, we can create a better understanding of the problems that we must solve and the solutions necessary to solve them.” says Cristina Aleixendri Muñoz, startup founder and winner of the EIT Woman Award. In line with this idea, VoWoCo aims to provide real knowledge, a supportive community, and inspiration to female entrepreneurs across Europe.

“We want VoWoCo to create real opportunities for women who are restarting or rebuilding their careers,” said Eszter Nagyné Czuri, project coordinator and president of the BENT Balaton Women’s Entrepreneurship Association.

In the first phase of the project, an international research and skills matrix is being developed to identify the competencies most needed by women entrepreneurs in today’s economic environment. These findings will form the basis for a multilingual online training course and mentoring program, which will be tested by a total of 80 female entrepreneurs from the countries involved. The mentoring program will focus on collaboration and co-creation, with participants testing what they have learned through their own business ideas. At the end of the project period, the completed teaching materials will be available to anyone on the official VoWoCo project website.

The VoWoCo project team believes that women’s businesses are not only economic drivers of development, but also social drivers, because where women are successful, communities are also strengthened.

Follow the progress of the VoWoCo project on the official website: www.vowoco.eu or join us on our social media pages:

• LinkedIn: VoWoCo Project
• Facebook: VoWoCoProject
• Instagram: @vowocoprojecteu

The VoWoCo partnership:

Dokuz Eylül University, Turkey / www.global.deu.edu.tr
University of Macerata, Italy / www.unimc.it
University of the Azores, Portugal / www.international.uac.pt
Pannon University, Hungary – associated partner / www.uni-pannon.hu
BENT Association, Hungary – project coordinator / www.bentbalaton.hu

About the BENT Association: The BENT Balaton Women’s Entrepreneurship Association was founded in 2019 with the aim of bringing together, supporting, and raising the profi le of women’s businesses in the Balaton Uplands and the wider region. It has extensive experience in community building, mentoring, professional programs, and organizing women’s entrepreneurial networks. BENT also plays an active role in organizing regional and national events, conferences, training courses, and innovative initiatives (e.g., EmpowerHER Balaton Women’s Business Conference, SWITCH Business Club). Its main goal is to create professional networking and development opportunities, support knowledge sharing, and contribute to the strengthening of the female entrepreneurial sphere – thus, the Association has also become the coordinator of the international VoWoCo project.

Press contact: BENT Association – VoWoCo project coordinator, Email: info@vowoco.eu

In February 2026, Vrnjačka Banja, Serbia, hosted the next meeting of the V4 Empowering Open Innovation Tourism Network project.

At the professional event, our colleagues, Madarász Eszter and Sulyok Judit, gave a presentation on the relationship between gamification and tourism, sharing the GreenGo application and initiative in Sárvár as a good practice.

For more information about the project, visit: https://hit-vb.kg.ac.rs/eoitn/

Are you thinking about starting a business, restarting your journey, or feeling stuck and in need of a fresh boost? The VoWoCo project is for you!

The Erasmus+ Volcanoes’ Women Co-Creation (VoWoCo) project supports women who are entrepreneurs, returning to the labour market to start or restart a business, changing career paths, or leading their own enterprises in gaining new energy, skills, and direction.

Experts from the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Pannonia are actively involved in the project’s implementation. The university team is leading the design and development of the VoWoCo training modules and online learning platform, transforming research findings into practical, accessible learning opportunities tailored to women entrepreneurs.

In the coming months, we will share more about the project, including real stories, practical tools, and inspiration from women entrepreneurs and mentors across Europe.

Follow the progress of the VoWoCo project on the official website: www.vowoco.eu or join us on our social media pages:

• LinkedIn: VoWoCo Project
• Facebook: VoWoCoProject
• Instagram: @vowocoprojecteu

Photo: crocuseurope.eu

There is a region along the Hungarian–Slovenian border where landscapes, traditions, and people’s stories intertwine. In Zala (Hungary) and Pomurske (Slovenia), the CROCUS project recently carried out a large-scale study to understand how tourism is perceived by those who live there, run businesses there, or simply visit. The findings are both surprising and insightful, but above all, they reveal what tourism really means in everyday life.

From the locals’ point of view, tourism has two faces. In Hungary, many feel that while tourism creates jobs and brings vibrancy, it also raises living costs and puts pressure on the environment. On the Slovenian side, the voices are more positive: here, tourism is mostly seen as a tool for protecting cultural heritage and the natural environment, and it increases the quality of education, although they are also aware of the potential negative impacts such as increased traffic congestion and social inequality. Interestingly, while many Hungarians said they would consider moving away if they could, Slovenians reported being happier with their current quality of life. Still, in both countries, there is strong support for further tourism development.

Among local businesses, the picture is equally nuanced. Most of them are small, family-run enterprises, often focused on accommodation services. Hungarian businesses mainly cater to domestic guests, while Slovenian ones are more open to international visitors. What unites them, however, is enthusiasm: they see tourism as an opportunity that benefits both the economy and the preservation of local traditions. Slovenians appear a bit more sensitive to environmental issues, but Hungarian business owners are also aware of them. Perhaps most encouragingly, entrepreneurs on both sides feel attached to their region and strongly support collective tourism development.

And what about the visitors? They are surprisingly loyal. Many have already returned several times, not only for a quick trip but sometimes for longer stays. When planning their travels, they rely mostly on social media and the websites of local tourism companies, while municipal websites are rarely used. Most visitors see tourism in a positive light: new experiences, cultural values, and economic benefits. Women, however, tend to be more environmentally conscious, showing greater concern about issues like pollution and waste.

Photo: crocuseurope.eu

Experts highlighted the different challenges facing the two sides. In Hungary, for example, Nagykanizsa mainly serves as a stopover for travelers heading to the Adriatic, with short stays and low local spending. The lack of a unified tourism strategy, underdeveloped infrastructure, and a weak entrepreneurial culture hold the area back. In Slovenia, the offer is much richer—thermal spas, wine culture, and cultural heritage are all strong attractions—but issues like limited funding, workforce shortages, and transport difficulties still pose challenges.

And yet, opportunities are abundant on both sides. Imagine a region with a shared tourism brand, where slow tourism—cycling, hiking, or discovering local food—draws visitors in. A place where cultural institutions, festivals, and craft workshops bring life and color, and where the border serves more as a bridge than a dividing line.

This research has given more than just numbers and data; it has provided a vision. Tourism can truly succeed here if locals, businesses, and visitors work together—and if sustainability and community cooperation remain at the heart of development.

More info about the project:

• https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101132454/it
• https://crocuseurope.eu
• https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13022258/

On September 3, 2025, the Definition workshop aimed at developing cross-border cultural and creative tourism was held as part of the CROCUS project.

The CROCUS project team from the University of Pannonia and experts from Zala – Pomurske Living Lab gathered in Dobronak to discuss the results achieved so far and the tasks ahead.

The researchers of the University of Pannonia – Dr. Ágnes Raffay-Danyi, Dr. Katalin Lőrincz, and Dr. Zsófia Papp – presented a study based on primary and secondary research collected in the Slovenian-Hungarian region.

More about the research:

The quantitative and qualitative research conducted as part of the CROCUS project examined the attitudes of local residents, local businesses, and visitors toward tourism in the regions of Zala (Hungary) and Pomurske (Slovenia).

The analysis addressed sample characteristics and perceptions of the economic, socio-cultural, and environmental impacts of tourism, cultural heritage preservation, the carrying capacity of the area, sustainability, and respondents’ attachment to the region.

Steps from data collection to business model development:

1. The understanding phase began with data collection through interviews and surveys involving local businesses, citizens, tourists, and other key stakeholders.

First, a questionnaire, prepared in both languages, was sent out to opinion leaders and stakeholders in the border region in the following sectors: education, government, business, and civil society, to gauge the opinions of local residents, local entrepreneurs, and tourists.

The 15 expert interviews conducted during the research sought to explore the tourism development opportunities and challenges in the region, with a particular focus on the opportunities and challenges arising from its border location.

2. In the interpretation phase, the collected data was used to define the parameters for new, sustainable CCT (cultural and creative tourism) business models. These parameters were presented by the project team members at the workshop in Dabronak in September, where they also collected feedback to refine the ideas.

The project team has already completed phase 2, and the following steps are scheduled for the future:

3. In the ideation phase, Living Labs will hold workshops on both sides of the border to gather ideas for business model prototypes with the involvement of various stakeholders, including citizens and policy makers.

4. Using the insights gained from brainstorming, during the model creation phase the living labs will develop two sustainable CCT business model prototypes in the model creation phase using the Sustainable Business Model Canvas tool. These models will be further refined based on feedback collected at workshops held in each region.

The workshop in Dabronak proved to be extremely effective, with the partners making great progress in the project. After the professional work, the participants were of course able to “sample” the region’s tourist attractions:

• they got a taste of local gastronomy at the Hancsik Farm;
• they then visited Moravske Toplice, a Slovenian town known for its thermal baths surrounded by a golf course;
• and ended the day at the Passero Farm, which is famous not only for its own wines and meats, but also for its divine chocolates. Thanks to the owner’s hospitality and the tastings, the CROCUS team ended the workshop with some truly sweet experiences.

More info about the project:

• https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101132454/it
• https://crocuseurope.eu
• https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13022258/