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.

 

Contents:

• Welcome!
• Our recent activities
• Our coming activities
• Also in the pipeline!
• Meet our Partners! - Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas - CSIC
• Focus on the Euro-Mediterranean projects dialogue to enhance water-energy-food nexus meeting

 

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

 

Welcome!

Dear readers, welcome to the sixth issue of the MED-SPRING E-Newsletter, which has the purpose of informing about our activities and involving researchers, stakeholders, policy makers and governmental officers in a renewed strategy for the Euro-Mediterranean partnership, with a particular focus on the Euro-Mediterranean Science and Technology Cooperation.

 

Keep an eye on AGORA MED-SPRING

Our recent activities

2nd Euro-Mediterranean Brokerage and Venturing Event on Research and Innovation - MED-SPRING organized in Berlin (Germany) from the 25th to 26th February 2015 this two-day event hosted by DLR, in collaboration with MHESR, MCST, ANIMA and CIHEAM-IAMB. It was a regional Euro-Mediterranean event where companies, organizations, entrepreneurs and researchers from different EU and Mediterranean countries participated with the aim of facilitating bridging between research and innovation through the creation of private-public and research-enterprise partnerships. Read more.

Annual Meeting of the General Assembly - MED-SPRING organized in Berlin (Germany) from 23rd to 24th February 2015, the two-day event, hosted by DLR, “Annual Meeting of the General Assembly”. The event was organized back to back with the “2nd Euro-Mediterranean Brokerage and Venturing Event on Research and Innovation”. Read more.

Euro-Mediterranean projects dialogue to enhance water-energy-food nexus meeting - CSIC organized in Barcelona, Spain, last 21st and 22nd January 2015 a meeting intended to open a discussion with a number of identified running projects having partners from the MPC about the NEXUS concept, and how this dialogue could be established and which results could be expected. Read more.

Our coming activities

MED-SPRING multi-task event - MED-SPRING and ERANETMED projects will organize a multi-task event in Beirut, Lebanon, from May 27th to 29th 2015. More information and a detailed agenda will be available soon in the website. Read more.

Third EMEG meeting - The 3rd EMEG meeting will be organized in Malta from 30 September to 2 October 2015, and hosted by the Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST). It will focus on the development of “A frame for a comprehensive understanding of water-food-energy nexus”. Read more.

 

Also in the pipeline!

EuroMED Cooperation. Inland and Marine Water Challenges - Under the Italian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and with the kind support of the European Commission, the National Research Council of Italy organized the conference “EuroMED Cooperation. Inland and Marine Water Challenges” aimed at enhancing the international cooperation on research and innovation. Read more.

MAGHRENOV project brokerage event on Euro-Moroccan innovative ideas and business concepts in the area of Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency - In the framework of the MAGHRENOV project, KIC InnoEnergy SE (the EU) and IRESEN (Morocco) launched a joint call for Innovation projects on Renewable Energies and Energy Efficiency, targeting Euro-Moroccan consortia. To contribute to consolidation of Euro-Moroccan consortia and provide all necessary information on the call, IRESEN and KIC InnoEnergy organize one-day brokerage event. Read more.

Seminar on HORIZON 2020 - MENFRI organized a traning on H2020 programme on the 4th March 2015 at the Kenzi Tower Hotel, in Casablanca. The overall objective of the training day is to give an overview of the Horizon 2020 EU programme (how it works, the participations rules, project life cycle etc.) with a focus on the possibilities available for the Mediterranean Partner Countries. The target groups are Public and private research institutions (Universities, Research Centres, Scientific Parks etc.), Industries (Large companies and SMEs). Read more.

BETTER 4th Policy Brief - Future Prospects for RES Cooperation Mechanisms in North Africa “Bringing Europe and Third countries closer together through renewable Energies" (BETTER) project has published the 4th Issue of the BETTER Policy Brief. The 4th BETTER Policy Brief entitled “Future Prospects for RES Cooperation Mechanisms in North Africa” summarizes the current energy status of the North Africa region with regards to the RES targets, as well as the grid network infrastructure of the region. Its aim is to identify barriers and opportunities for a successful implementation of cooperation mechanisms in the field of electricity generation from Renewable Energy Sources. Read more.

 

MORE INFO ON EURO-MED EVENTS AT MED-SPRING.

Meet our partners! Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas - CSIC

The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) is the largest public institution dedicated to research in Spain and the third largest in Europe. Belonging to the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through the Secretary of State for Research, Development and Innovation, its main objective is to develop and promote research that will help bring about scientific and technological progress, and it is prepared to collaborate with Spanish and foreign entities in order to achieve this aim. According to its Statute (article 4), its mission is to foster, coordinate, develop and promote scientific and technological research, of a multidisciplinary nature, in order to contribute to advancing knowledge and economic, social and cultural development, as well as to train staff and advise public and private entities on this matter.

CSIC plays an important role in scientific and technological policy, since it encompasses an area that takes in everything from basic research to the transfer of knowledge to the productive sector. Its research is driven by its centres and institutes, which are spread across all the autonomous regions, and its more than 15,000 staff, of whom are than 3,000 are staff researchers and the same number again are doctors and scientists who are still training. CSIC has 6% of all the staff dedicated to Research and Development in Spain, and they generate approximately 20% of all scientific production in the country. It also manages a range of important facilities; the most complete and extensive network of specialist libraries, and also has joint research units. Read more.

 

Focus on: the EuroMediterranean projects dialogue to enhance water-energy-food nexus meeting

The Meeting was organized in Barcelona, Spain, by CSIC last 21st and 22nd January 2015. It was organized as a “Brain Storming” session of EU financed Projects dealing with Water, Energy and Food, and their NEXUS, and with a Mediterranean component in their objectives or consortium.

36 Projects were invited to participate and 25 of them were present in the Meeting, 6 dealing with Water, 7 with Energy, 5 with Food and 7 with Structural aspects of the EU-MPC cooperation. The sessions discussed on three Questions identified as common issues of all projects dealing with the three sides of the NEXUS, either individually or in the possible joint bilateral or trilateral effort:

 

• Which are the ways and boundaries of the NEXUS concept to define a pragmatic approach for EU-Financed projects dealing with its challenges?
• Which is and which should be the degree of coordination between policies and regulations to attain a NEXUS approach at national and international level?
• How can the challenges of the NEXUS be presented to the large public and the political and administrative actors?
• Where are the public benefits of the NEXUS approach? Where are the industrial benefits of this approach?

 

The debates were very rich and several suggestions have been proposed during the 3 topical discussions and in the general debate. The following recommendations were agreed:

• We should impulse aggregation of knowledge processes around the challenges. Actions based in Projects dimensions are not enough to guarantee sustainability; a clear engagement of Institutions around the objectives of addressing challenges is needed. Therefore, a common objective is to explore how the scientific community can reach the political level of decision on funding and continuity in actions.
• The scientific community should be present in the fora where the concerns are exposed, and be closer to the research end users, notably consumers and young generations.
• Good quality of data sharing is a must if common North-South problems are to be jointly addressed. The Trends-Tensions-Transitions methodology could be a good approach to the NEXUS joint strategy.
• It is proposed to prepare a Mediterranean NEXUS Manifest by an operational Task Force of some participants in the Meeting. Suggestions for the content of the Manifest could include:
  • Identification of running initiatives, key actors and interested parties.
  • Identification of the knowledge gaps existing among the participation countries and groups of experts.
  • Gathering of case studies dealing with NEXUS approaches and examples (Jordan is continuously cited as a good case study country).
  • The Manifest could include references to three key issues: policy, regulations and young people sensibility on the subject.
• Bilateral agreements and the UfM networking capacity could be mobilized

 

Please visit the event in the MED-SPRING website to have access to the meeting minutes.

 

Please contact for further information