VoWoCo Archives - University of Pannonia - FBE https://www.gtk.uni-pannon.hu/en/tag/vowoco-en/ Faculty of Business and Economics Mon, 13 Jul 2026 16:52:09 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 The VoWoCo Project Unveils Evidence-Based Skill Matrix for Women Entrepreneurs – PRESS RELEASE https://www.gtk.uni-pannon.hu/en/vowoco-skillmatrix-pressrelease/ Mon, 13 Jul 2026 16:49:15 +0000 https://www.gtk.uni-pannon.hu/?p=49704 The VoWoCo Erasmus+ Project Unveils Evidence-Based Skill Matrix for Women Entrepreneurs Across Four Countries Women entrepreneurs do not just need generic business advice — they need support that reflects the real skills, challenges, and opportunities shaping their daily work. The VoWoCo project has now turned that insight into action with the development of [...]

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The VoWoCo Erasmus+ Project Unveils Evidence-Based Skill Matrix for Women Entrepreneurs Across Four Countries

Women entrepreneurs do not just need generic business advice — they need support that reflects the real skills, challenges, and opportunities shaping their daily work. The VoWoCo project has now turned that insight into action with the development of an evidence-based Skill Matrix that identifies the most important entrepreneurial competencies for women in Hungary, Italy, Portugal, and Türkiye.

The Skill Matrix was not created in theory alone. It emerged from a rigorous research process that combined focus group discussions with women entrepreneurs and women in career transitions, labor market analysis, and validation by 22 international experts from academia, business, civil society, and public institutions. Across the four countries, the research produced 65 first-order skills, 17 second-order themes, and four overarching skill dimensions, creating a robust picture of the capabilities women entrepreneurs rely on in different contexts.

The findings show that entrepreneurial success is shaped by much more than financial literacy or traditional growth metrics. The strongest pillar in the matrix is relational and social skills, followed by management and operations, personal and behavioral skills, and cognitive and strategic skills. Experts especially highlighted networking and social capital, opportunity recognition, self-regulation, strategic planning, and adaptive leadership as the most important themes. In other words, the matrix reflects how women entrepreneurs really build and sustain businesses: by navigating relationships, institutions, uncertainty, and changing life circumstances.

This is exactly what makes the Skill Matrix so useful. It provides a practical, evidence-based foundation for targeted training, mentoring, and self-reflection tools that respond to real needs rather than assumptions. On this basis, VoWoCo is also developing an online learning module that will be available free of charge, helping women entrepreneurs strengthen the skills that matter most in practice. The matrix can therefore serve not only researchers and policymakers, but also trainers, mentors, support organisations, and women who want a clearer picture of where they stand and where they can grow.

Country results also reveal striking differences:

  • In Hungary, the strongest profile is psychologically intensive: women entrepreneurs often rely on self-awareness, identity adjustment, and career transitioning in response to lower levels of social capital.
  • Italy stands out for its relationally embedded profile, where community networking and relational empathy are especially important, reflecting the power of social ties in business life.
  • Portugal shows an institutionally structured profile with strong strategic mapping, uncertainty management, and a need for practical tools that support decision-making in constrained environments.
  • Türkiye presents an opportunity-driven profile, with strong market awareness, high risk-taking, and emerging digital strengths such as data visualization and prompt engineering.

These country-specific findings matter because they show that support for women entrepreneurs should not be one-size-fits-all. The same skills do not carry the same weight in every national context, and effective training must reflect local realities, sectoral differences, and stage-specific business needs. That is why the Skill Matrix is designed as both a shared European framework and a flexible tool that can be adapted for country-level use.

VoWoCo is a transnational project dedicated to better understanding and supporting women entrepreneurs across Europe through research-based tools, practical learning resources, and cross-country collaboration. By combining evidence, expert validation, and a clear focus on usability, the project aims to help women entrepreneurs strengthen their businesses, make informed choices, and access support that truly fits their needs. The Skill Matrix is a key step in that direction: a practical bridge between research and action.

Visit the Skill Matrix webpage. >>>

Infographics >>>

Executive Report >>>

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

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]]> VoWoCo international project meeting in Veszprém https://www.gtk.uni-pannon.hu/en/vowoco-project-meeting-veszprem/ Wed, 11 Mar 2026 15:15:42 +0000 https://www.gtk.uni-pannon.hu/?p=48083 On March 10-11, 2026, the VoWoCo Project international partnership meeting was held in Veszprém, at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Pannonia, with the participation of Hungarian, Turkish, Italian, and Portuguese partners. During the program, participants reviewed the project's professional achievements to date, particularly those related to WP2, finalized [...]

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On March 10-11, 2026, the VoWoCo Project international partnership meeting was held in Veszprém, at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Pannonia, with the participation of Hungarian, Turkish, Italian, and Portuguese partners.

During the program, participants reviewed the project’s professional achievements to date, particularly those related to WP2, finalized the elements of the VoWoCo Skill Matrix in a workshop, and discussed the rules for developing the mentor-mentee database.

In the second half of the meeting, the agenda included the development of VoWoCo training modules and the online learning platform as part of WP3, as well as the related task distribution and work plan.

On the second day, the partners discussed the preparation of the VoWoCo mentoring program, project management issues, dissemination results, and quality assurance and evaluation processes. The meeting ended with a closing discussion summarizing the tasks for the next period and the directions for further cooperation within the partnership.

The professional program was accompanied by a joint city walk and informal networking events, which contributed to strengthening the partnership and preparing for future cooperation.

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

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]]> The VoWoCo project – a new era for women’s entrepreneurship – has been launched through international cooperation – PRESS RELEASE https://www.gtk.uni-pannon.hu/en/vowoco-press-release/ Fri, 20 Feb 2026 15:47:55 +0000 https://www.gtk.uni-pannon.hu/?p=47670 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 [...]

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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:

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

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]]> Welcome to the VoWoCo Project https://www.gtk.uni-pannon.hu/en/vowoco-project/ Wed, 18 Feb 2026 15:15:27 +0000 https://www.gtk.uni-pannon.hu/?p=47635 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 [...]

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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:

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