UfM launches third Med Youth Lab to equip young people with entrepreneurial skills
Barcelona, 12 August 2026. Marking International Youth Day, the UfM has opened applications for the third edition of the UfM Med Youth Lab, focused this year on entrepreneurial skills.
Organised by the UfM with the support of the German Development Cooperation and in collaboration with the University of Palermo, the hybrid programme will combine online training from October to December with in-person workshops in Palermo, Italy, from 14 to 16 December 2026.
Participants will develop foundational skills in entrepreneurial thinking, innovation, financial literacy, communication and problem-solving. They will also design introductory sessions through which they can share basic entrepreneurship concepts with peers in their communities in 2027.
Applications are open to young people aged 18–29 from UfM Member States who are currently enrolled at university or graduated within the past year and have no or limited previous experience in entrepreneurship.
Full sponsorship for travel, visa and accommodation costs related to the in-person programme is available to nationals of Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Montenegro, Morocco, North Macedonia, Palestine, Tunisia and Türkiye. Applicants from other UfM Member States remain eligible but must secure their own funding to participate in Palermo. Participation is free of charge. Applications close on 30 August 2026 at 23:59 CEST.
The initiative builds on its first edition in Fes in 2024, which brought together 61 young leaders from 21 UfM Member States, and its second edition in Tirana in 2025, which gathered 58 participants from 14 Euro-Mediterranean countries to develop youth-led solutions to shared regional challenges.
