Mediterranean Science, Policy, Research & Innovation Gateway

 

The Mediterranean Science, Policy, Research and Innovation Gateway (MED-SPRING) is a Coordination Action financed by the INCO-Net instrument under the FP7 - Capacities Programme. The aim of the Project is to contribute to the quality of the Euro-Mediterranean research area, with a particular focus on the bi-regional Euro-Mediterranean S&T cooperation, research and innovation, policy dialogue and cooperation monitoring.

 

Find below the list of contents of this E-Newsletter:

• Welcome!
• What has the project done in the first nine months?
• Our main past activities
• Also in the pipeline!
• Our future main activities
• Interviews to Ayman Rabi, Moez Jebara and Jose Bonfim
• The three Societal Challenges addressed by the EMEG group
• Flash Note on Food
• Gender Mainstreaming in Water for Agriculture, Research Needs and Responses

 

Please click here to get the complete pdf version of this E-Newsletter.

 

Welcome!

Dear readers, welcome to the second issue of the MED-SPRING E-Newsletter, which has the purpose of informing on and involving researchers, students, active citizens, policy makers and governmental officers in a renewed strategy for the Euro-Mediterranean partnership, with a particular focus on the Euro-Mediterranean Science & Technology cooperation.

 

What has been done in the fist nine months?

Most of the MED-SPRING work packages and project tasks are fully operative, with the overall objective to strengthen the cooperation on research and innovation in the the Euro-Mediterranean area. Read more.

Our main past activities

 

MED-SPRING Open Consultation: The MED-SPRING project launched an open consultation to collect comments and opinions coming from a broader public of active citizens, researchers, entrepreneurs, policy-makers, members of civil society on the societal challenges of food security, water scarcity and energy in the Mediterranean region. Read more.

The first EMEG meeting: The first EMEG meeting, held in Lisbon last June, conveyed 50 experts from Europe and South Mediterranean countries (Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia, Turkey) to discuss ways and means to increase uptake of research results and enhance a positive socio-economic impact on the civil society with regard to important challenges like water resources, food quality and security, energy. Read more.

Express your opinion: On the ground of the results obtained through the Open Consultation and of the discussion held during the Meeting in Lisbon, the EMEG group has produced a position paper which presents the recommendations for the Euro-Mediterranean research agenda. Read more.

Euro-Mediterranean Inter-Institutional And Training-Awareness Meeting: From 11th to 12th July, 2013 the workshop "Interinstitutional Capacity Building & Awareness Workshop", organized by MED-SPRING in Beirut, conveyed senior officials and researchers of key organizations and main actors from Europe and South Mediterranean Countries to discuss prospects of Euro-Mediterranean cooperation on Science and Technology under a form of a more stable and sustainable cooperation. Read more.

Designing an effective training: MEDSPRING invites you to submit your opinions and views on the role and impact of the research activities in the Euro-Mediterranean countries, regarding the three main societal challenges: Resource Efficiency, High Quality Affordable Food and Energy. Read more.

 

Also in the pipeline!

 

News on Horizon 2020: Visit our new Horizon 2020 page inside the MEDSPRING
website to be aware of any news on the new Framework Programme. Read more.

New Horizons, New Challenges: Evaluation of STI. On 14th and 15th November 2013 the international evaluation conference "New Horizons / New Challenges: evaluation of STI policies, instruments and organisations" is organised in Vienna, Austria. Read more.

Best Practices in Innovation Management for Sustainable Growth: The next session of the INSMEAcademy on "Best Practices in Innovation Management for Sustainable Growth" will take place on the 24th of September from 13h to 14h Italian Time. Read more.

Stakes and perspectives of transmediterranean scientific research: From 19th to 20th September 2013 at Agropolis International, Montpellier, the French National Research Agency (ANR) and Agropolis international within the framework of TRANSMED programme organize the seminar "Stakes and perspectives of transmediterranean scientific research". Read more.

 

Our main future activities

 

MED-SPRING project invited to participate in TRANSMED: The MED-SPRING project has been invited to participate in TRANSMED, organized by ANR (France), from September 19th to 20th, 2013 in Montpellier, France. Read more.

MED-SPRING participation in the final workshop of EARN: The MED-SPRING project has been invited to participate in the final workshop of EARN (Euro-Algerian research network) in Algiers, Algeria, from September 25th to 26th, 2013. Read more.

MED-SPRING launch of a call for innovative ideas: Launch of a call for innovative ideas! Best ideas will be selected and their author/s invited to the MED-SPRING regional brokerage event. The closure of the call will be by the end of November 2013. Read more.

MED-SPRING project invited to ERANETMED Kick Off meeting: The MED-SPRING project has been invited to participate in the Kick Off meeting of ERANETMED project, from November 4th to 5th, 2013 in Istanbul, Turkey. Read more.

Regional Euro-Mediterranean brokerage event on research cooperation: The MEDSPRING project is organizing this meeting for next January 2014 in Cairo, Egypt. The meeting will support networking among researchers, SMEs and research stakeholders from different South Mediterranean and European countries. During the meeting, participants will take stock of the opportunities offered by the European programmes, like for example Horizon 2020 for research and innovation and identify common research themes of interest to start cooperation. Read more.

MEDSPRING project "Horizon 2020 - coaching and networking" meeting: The MEDSPRING project is organizing this meeting for next January 2014 in Cairo, Egypt. More information willbe provided in the project website. Read more.

MEDSPRING project annual meeting: MEDSPRING will organize its annual meeting in Cairo, Egypt, the next 14th February 2014. More information will be provided soon in the website. Read more.

2nd EMEG meeting on research policies: The MED-SPRING project will organize the "2nd EMEG meeting on research policies" in Tunisia during the next year, during late spring. More information will be provided as soon as possible in the project website. Read more.

Interviews to Ayman Rabi, Moez Jebara and Jose Bonfim

 

The Euro-Mediterranean Expert Group meeting was held in Lisbon in June, 20th and 21st, 2013. The main aim of the meeting was to develop a common frame of topics - but not only - to be addressed for research valorization in Water, Food, and Energy. The meeting in Lisbon was the first step of EMEG contribution towards the identification of recommendations and suggestions to the European Commission for the development of the future research agenda for the Euro-Mediterranean cooperation in research and innovation. Read more.

 

The three Societal Challenges addressed by the EMEG group

 

Nowadays, the dimension of international cooperation could play an important role in achieving the Horizon 2020 main objectives. According to the new EU strategy for international cooperation in research and innovation, the identification of priority areas will be done within the most relevant societal challenges and applying the principles of co-ownership and co-funding. Therefore, an adequate valorization of research results in the Euro-Mediterranean Cooperation on Research and Innovation, as well as a proper identification of the common problems, priorities and urgent actions to be carried out, is of utmost importance for achieving the Horizon 2020 objectives. Read more.

 

Flash note on Food

 

Food quality and security is at the base of the prosperous development and well-being of the Mediterranean region and it must be seen in a context of multiple dimensions and disciplines. During its first meeting, EMEG identified research topics and niches that more than others would enhance market opportunities, having potential for new jobs, start-ups and winning public-private-societal partnerships in relation to the above societal challenges. Read more.

 

Gender Mainstreaming in Water for Agriculture, Research Needs and Responses

By Juan Antonio Sagardoy, Senior Gender and Water Management Consultant, and EMEG Expert.

 

For many people, gender mainstreaming in water is about solving problems linked to the image of a women carrying water in a jar on top of her head. Although this is a serious and real problem, it is certainly not the most common one in the Mediterranean Region. There are many other discrimination obstacles that women suffer in the context of agriculture water management that need attention from the research and development points of view. Read more.

 

Please find also the overview of the first six months activity of our MED-SPRING project AGORA!

Please contact for further information