Within the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs Programme,  the collaboration between Brussels and Italy brings together two complementary profiles: the long-standing experience of a leader in European social economy and the drive of a young professional focused on rural regeneration.

Gianluca Pastorelli: a leading voice in Europe’s social economy landscape
At the heart of the European district, Gianluca Pastorelli oversees the activities of Diesis Network, one of the most established networks supporting social economy organisations across Europe. With over 20 years of experience, he serves as Executive President, coordinating a network representing over 100,000 organisations and 1.2 million workers in over 30 countries.

Gianluca has contributed to numerous European and international initiatives— developing projects that promote entrepreneurship, social innovation, employment, and social and solidarity models.

His participation in the EYE programme reflects a commitment to preparing the next generation of social economy practitioners. He is looking for young entrepreneurs able to bring new perspectives, even if they lack direct experience in EU project management, as long as they show commitment and awareness of the transformative potential of the social economy.

Daniele Tappa: a young innovator dedicated to rural revitalisation
From Rovereto, Daniele Tappa joins the exchange with a background that combines social innovation, EU project experience and community building. Founder of the association Connection4Innovation, he has contributed to EU-funded initiatives such as Horizon Europe, Erasmus+ and projects connected to the Italian NRRP.

His entrepreneurial initiative, DeUrban Project, addresses the structural challenges faced by small Italian villages by integrating co-living, co-working, social innovation and digital infrastructure into a single model for local development.

Through EYE, Daniele aims to reinforce his skills in strategic planning, international networking and long-term sustainability models, while gaining exposure to the European ecosystem of social economy actors. His academic experience abroad (Erasmus at Panthéon-Sorbonne) and fluency in multiple languages will support his integration into the multicultural environment of Diesis.

What the exchange will focus on

During the five-month period, Daniele will be involved in several areas central to Diesis Network’s work:

Policy research and analysis

• Studying approaches and tools used by Diesis to support knowledge development and policy work at European level.

EU project design

• Learning the full process of project development, from initial context analysis to drafting proposals, logical frameworks and budgets.

Implementation and partnership coordination

• Contributing to project delivery: research tasks, coordination with partners, support for events, reporting and monitoring.

Mutual added value

Gianluca will provide structured mentorship to support Daniele in refining his business concept and strengthening the strategy behind the DeUrban Project.

In return, Diesis will benefit from Daniele’s insights into rural development and emerging social innovation practices, opening new perspectives for future collaborations and outreach in Italy.

By the end of the exchange, Daniele expects to have significantly enhanced his skills in EU project development and transnational cooperation, aligning his rural regeneration model with established European practices.