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Advancing refugees’ access to essential networks

Refugees bring inspiring resilience, creativity, and problem-solving skills. Yet they face major barriers to starting businesses, accessing employment, and participating fully in social and economic life. Entrepreneurial skills and mindsets are often promoted as a way to support individuals, but this alone does not address limited access to the formal and informal networks that provide essential knowledge, opportunities, and support. These networks are particularly important for future transitions into entrepreneurship and further employment.

This project aims to co-create practical interventions that directly strengthen access to formal and informal networks, alongside the entrepreneurial mindsets needed to use them effectively. It will explore how entrepreneurial skills, experience, and mindset can contribute to inclusive communities, stronger social connections, and shared economic opportunities. The project aims to develop an intervention that responds to current challenges and contributes to a future where everyone can participate and realise their potential.

Outputs

On 22 October, a group of 15 practitioners and academics came together to map out challenges for refugees in developing entrepreneurial mindsets. The results of this session are presented in the report Shaping futures: co-creating solutions that build on refugee aspirations, strengths and community potential. After this, we continued the project in February 2026 with a small team to tackle the challenge identified by the larger group: advancing access to networks for refugees.

Click to read our report: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/4928609/shaping-futures-co-creating-solutions-that-build-on-refugee-aspirations-strengths-and-community-potential

Click here to follow the project: https://socialscience.ventures/showcase/advancing-refugees-access-to-essential-networks/

Team

Entrepreneurs in Residence

Researchers