A Strory by Federico Tarantino

Countryof origin : Italy

Country of destination  Spain

 After my Master’s Degree in Environmental Engineering, I immediately realized that the only path I could follow was linked to the energy field and the production of electricity from renewable energy sources. Why this conclusion? It might be a long answer, thereby it is better to quit it now.

I would rather say that the following article (http://aspoitalia.wordpress.com/2013/10/04/economia-le-20-cose-importanti-che-non-mihanno-insegnato/) murmured to me: “That’s a good path. Carry on. Don’t turn back!”.

On September 2012 I joined a Summer School located near Barcelona named Som Energia Summer School. Som Energia is a pioneering initiative whose mission is to produce and sell green electricity in a cooperative form. Social inclusion, local employment, green technologies and smart technics were the keys of this meeting.

There I met Javier Lopez from the enterprise Navitas Paradigma: I explained him my professional goals and my restlessness in the application of the Schumacher’s theories (in particular the idea of “Appropriate technologies”) into the daily life….

Before starting the EYE programme, I had already the concept of NostrAEnergy into my mind, after developing a project in Italy called Sun Nicola aimed to enhance the consumer engagement towards the production of sustainable electricity. Therefore, the matching through the Erasmus programme for Young Entrepreneurs was only a matter of time.

Navitas was waiting for European inputs in order to internationalize its company; as for me, I needed a training period focused on developing managerial and business skills. I think we get on.

After the EYE experience, I would say I am ready to engage with a start up. Naturally, I cannot do it on my own. My will is to collaborate with other colleagues that share NostrAEnergy’s mission and also to establish a company with social value added.

During the period June – December 2013 I carried out several activities in Navitas Paradigma headquarter. These may be categorized as follows:

Research activities, Engineering, Management & Commercial tasks

It is clear that I made an all-around experience. I have increased my senior expertise to manage a business.

Both Javier and me have achieved many positive results. We have started a professional collaboration focused on exchanging experiences, sharing contacts and participating jointly at European Programmes, first priority: Horizon 2020. Furthermore, we are working on other project linked to the renewable energy realm in the Spanish territory.

I got managerial skills, as well as I improved my target client strategy.

EYE Programme is a great opportunity to open up broader borders, to overcome the environmental crisis and to meet excellent people and make useful networking. During these days I am creating my own start up and I think that this European programme helped me at a great extent to develop it.

• NIO: Accademia europea di Firenze, Elisabetta Lambruschini: lambruschini@aefonline.eu
• HIO: Barcelona Official Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Navigation: ecollvinent@cambrabcn.org