The idea of the Social Start Ups project was born on the assumption that the current labor market and the economic crisis generated an increase in the gap between the generation of young people and that of adults, highlighting the difficulties of the latter in access to the labour market.The Social Start Ups project has promoted active participation and entrepreneurship among adults through the development of an innovative methodology that transforms Ethical Purchasing Groups (E.P.G.) into learning by doing training environments.The aim of the project was to encourage, through the start-up / management of EPGs, the empowerment, access and transfer of key competences (in particular entrepreneurship) to adult people, focusing specifically on people with a Low educational level, unemployed, vulnerable groups, single parents, small producers, migrants.Social Start Ups has involved 6 partners from 4 different countries:- Tamat, project leader, is an NGO in Perugia since 1995. Tamat's role has been to coordinate the project, monitoring, and experimentation of methodological tools.- The Faculty of Economics of the University of Plymouth was the partner in charge of developing methodology and methodological tools, training and mentoring project mentors.- The University of East Anglia, Norwich, has held the role of the University of Plymouth in the early months of the project.- Amsed is a Strasbourg-based NGO with considerable experience in the field of mobility and integration of migrants. Amsed has supported all project activities and has played a key role in the experimentation phase of the methodology.- Municipality of Verteneglio (Croatia), the newcomer of the Erasmus + program, has been the third partner in charge of experimentation.- Parco Tecnologica Agroalimentare 3A, an agency of Umbria Region, deals with research and certification in the food court and had the role of developing and Output Trainings related to hygiene, food safety and quality.The project was addressed to 3 different target groups:- 92 adult participants in the 3 countries where methodology has been tested (Italy, France, Croatia)- 8 staff members (mentors) of the 3 partners who conducted the methodology test (Tamat, Amsed, Municipality of Brtonigla)- over 300 members of possible stakeholders such as: EPGs, local associations, training centers, development agencies, public bodies, universities.Social Start Ups, lasting 2 years, has been completed through the development of the following phases:1) the mapping phase of G.A.S., through which quantitative and qualitative data were collected on purchasing groups in Italy France and Croatia. This phase was crucial for contextualization of the project at the various intervention place.2) the development of the training plan and the methodological framework3) experimentation and validation of methodological tools through the start-up / management of EPGs.4) Realization of multiplier events for dissemination of the project and Intellectual OutputIn total, Social Start Ups has achieved:- 6 transnationa lmeetings- 8 multiplier events- 3 transnational training activities, of which two were for staff and one for participants- 8 intellectual outputThe project has achieved the expected results of the adult target group:- Increased the level of key competences and, in particular, of the entrepreneurial spirit and initiative for self-employment and enterprise start-up- increased technical knowledge on safety, hygiene and food quality- increased opportunities for practical business experiences- active participation in social and community interest activitiesFrom a systemic point of view, the project has allowed the development, testing and validation of a methodology able to transfer competences to the participants but also able to allow the development of new prototypes of EPGs based on the social enterprise model. This aspect, entirely innovative and not anticipated during the writing and design of the project, has had a significant impact, which will also benefit in the medium to long term at local, national, and European level.Social Start Ups has been an opportunity for participating organistaions’ staff to increase its skills on:- mentoring activities for enterprise development- start-up of initiatives of Community interest such as G.A.S.- hygiene, safety and food quality- European cooperation