Output

1) Pre-Forum Survey
The pre-forum survey will be conducted via an online survey questionnaire, helping the PO to identify the latest trends and challenges faced by APEC member economies and exemplars of best practice. The target economies are the hosting economy, Chinese Taipei, and co- sponsoring economies of Chile, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Thailand, and United States. Other economies are also welcomed to submit a survey questionnaire. The results of the survey will only be used by PO to build a more specific and concrete agenda and there won’t be any written document produced.

2) 3-Day Forum with Field Visit

There will be a physical event in Taipei for participants and speakers from all 21 economies. The purpose of this forum is for participants to share their knowledge and learn experiences from shared best practices. The target audience includes young entrepreneurs and women who are interested in the topic of innovative entrepreneurship and female empowerment projects, and also policy-makers, training institutions who will directly contribute in gaining skills and knowledge for the targeted groups. The tentative topics and field visit site are listed below. Q&A sessions will be provided in the end of every topic/session/panel discussion to allow participants chances to voice out. The forum will be no less than 8 hours per day. Total duration will be 24 hours.

Day 1 Topics:

(a) “Digital Entrepreneurship Education and Industry-Academia Cooperation for Talent Cultivation”: this session will explore innovative training strategies and curriculum development in entrepreneurship education and digital capacity building to enable and inspire young entrepreneurs-to-be to become prominent entrepreneurs. Participants will engage in innovation entrepreneurship and educational initiates, discussing best practice and related project implementation. (2 speakers)

(b) “Advancing Regional Growth through Innovative and Inclusive Businesses”: this session aims to explore the pivotal role of innovative businesses in fostering regional development with a focus on emerging trends in Fintech and AI, and the availability of related entrepreneurship resources. This session will also incorporate educational approaches to enhance individuals with disabilities in pursuing employment and entrepreneurial opportunities. It will provide a platform for experts (educators and training institution representatives), entrepreneurs, and policymakers to discuss strategies in leveraging these sectors to drive sustainable and inclusive growth in the APEC region (3 speakers). 

Day 2 Topics:

(a) “Female Entrepreneurs in the Digital Age: Integrative Training in STEM and Leadership Growth”: this session will address the challenges and opportunities for women in STEM fields, and female empowerment projects related to cross-disciplinary training and entrepreneurial education. (2 speakers)

(b) “Female Entrepreneurship Experiences Sharing”: this session will invite female entrepreneurs from the APEC region in the field of digital technology to share their entrepreneurial experiences, the obstacles they encountered, and the resources they utilized. (3 speakers) 

Day 3 Field Visit:

Participants will visit significant digital start-up base (i.e. digiBlock Taipei) and entrepreneur's hub (i.e. Impact Hub Taipei) where participants will gain insights into the resources and support that Chinese Taipei offers to empower both young entrepreneurs and women. This will be a half-day visit, followed by a wrap-up session (at least 3 hours) with breakout sessions to recap key discussions and recommendations from participants. A post-event survey will be conducted right after the forum to allow maximum receipt of response from participants. The link will be sent to participants during the wrap-up session and we will allocate 1 hour for filling the survey. The result of this survey will be reported in the Completion Report.

3) Project Final Report
A Project Final Report will be generated and shared with all project stakeholders who express interest after APEC Secretariat's review, endorsement and publication. The report will encompass a cover page, table of contents, introductory, research approach, findings, key discussions and recommendations in the forum, and a concluding summary, a minumum of 15 pages of substances (excluding annexes). The targets will be the participants in this event, policy makers, and government officials, and it will be published in the APEC publications website to ensure broader accessibility.

Outcome

1) Through the post-event survey, participants report increased knowledge, equipping women, young entrepreneurs, and people with disabilities with essential skills including: (1) Market Research and Demand Analysis, (2) Financial Management and Cost Control, (3) Agile Business Model and Minimum Viable Product (MVP), (4) Entrepreneurial Resources and Grant Applications, and (6) Digital Transformation and Automation and, and become better prepared for changing job market, more independent, and successful in their future businesses.

2) Through the post-event survey, participants report gained women's insights on how to effectively utilize knowledge and resources to help them attain their entrepreneurial goals.

3) Through the post-event survey, participants report enhanced understanding of initiatives for female empowerment, innovative and inclusive strategies for entrepreneurship, and startup education across the region.

Beneficiaries

The primary beneficiaries of the project are its intended participants, specifically women, youth (aged 18-30), and individuals with disabilities from the APEC region. By circuate invitation via APEC Secretariat to PPWE and the Friends of the Chair on Promoting Disability Policies, FotC in HRDWG, we will locate the participants who are interested in the topic of this project and send invitations to them. Through the proposed event, which will feature discussions on innovative ideas, business perspectives, female leadership, and interdisciplinary learning, the primary beneficiaries will gain valuable knowledge and skills necessary for today's and tomorrow's job market. 

Secondly beneficiaries will be policymakers from women and youth affairs related departments, academic representatives who have been designing and teaching entrepreneurship, and professionals from various sectors who focus on the implementation of women and youth empowerment will benefit from insights on implementing innovative digital education and fostering collaboration between industry and academia. This initiative aims to bolster the competence and knowledge of women, youth, and individuals with disabilities, empowering them to thrive in the current job market and potentially establish their own businesses that will provide long-term benefits to the regional economy. By sharing best practices and experiences, this project will inspire participants to implement similar endeavors in their own respective economies.