FUSION LAB is a FORUM 16 program that promotes cooperation between private businesses and grassroots organizations through joint projects, joint training, and creation of a new kind of shared workplace where new ideas and new organizations can grow and develop. We envision Fusion Lab as a social enterprise that will create a high-quality facility for community meetings and co-working space and serve as a focus for our efforts to provide services to other organizations and to promote inter-sector collaboration.
The activities under this program are: enabling an ecosystem for social entrepreneurship, education and support for transformation of the organizations into social enterprises, ie continuing the already started efforts within the Eptisa project from 2017. With support from an EU-sponsored national project, FORUM 16 has developed initial business and marketing plans for this program. We are now seeking partnership opportunities to take these efforts to full implementation.
- Co-Working Space
FORUM 16 is actively seeking new relationships with people and organizations that want to make a difference. We’re looking for partners, sponsors and colleagues who want to change the way Bitola works by creating a new kind of shared workspace for creators, entrepreneurs, artists and activists. We envision a site that will serve as headquarters for FORUM 16 and other CSOs and partner businesses, and which will also provide flexible office and meeting space in a co-working environment. This popular approach to the workspace of the future is well-established and popular in cities around the world but has not yet taken root in Macedonia outside of Skopje. FORUM 16 wants to change that, with a social enterprise whose modest profits will help support the Association’s community service programs.
- Community Engagement
As a mission-driven organization, FORUM 16 promotes cooperation and collaboration in developing the ecosystem for social enterprise as well as inter-sector cooperation with community-minded businesses, freelance artists and professionals. We actively search for beneficial relationships that serve the community, and which create new opportunities for individuals and associations in Bitola and throughout Macedonia. This spirit is embraced in all of our programs, and we hope that Fusion Lab program will become a centre for promoting this approach in the broadest possible way. Like-minded individuals and organizations are urged to get in touch with us to explore how we can be more effective working together.