On Monday, February 4th 2013, representatives of 18 Mediterranean countries have gathered at CIHEAM Bari to launch MED-SPRING (Mediterranean Science, Policy, Research and Innovation Gateway) Project, an initiative based on dialogue on research and innovation on three key issues for the Mediterranean region: Water, Food, Energy. MED-SPRING project is coordinated by CIHEAM Bari Institute and financed by the European Commission – DG for Research and Innovation. MED-SPRING aims at sharing the results of the scientific research on the selected issues, enhancing the North-South co-decision process, involving the civil society in the institutional dialogue on research and innovation, developing effective cooperation instruments.
Moreover, the Project intends to contribute to the strengthening of Euro-Mediterranean cooperation at large. Indeed, the initiative will play a pivotal role in view of a reinforcement of the European Neighbourhood Policy, with special attention to Mediterranean countries. 
Project partners are institutions, research centres and associations of Algeria, Belgium, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Morocco, Palestine, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia, Turkey. The opening ceremony of the meeting was chaired by Cosimo Lacirignola, Director of the Bari Institute of CIHEAM, with speeches of Fadila Boughanemi (EC- DG Research and Innovation), Claudio Bogliotti (CIHEAM Bari), coordinator of the Project, and Hamid El-Zoheiry (Ministry of Education and Scientific Research – Egypt), co-coordinator of the Project.
Please find also the direct links to the poster on project structure and the one on work packages structure. You can find also the list of attendants to the Kick Off meeting.
