UfM Regional Platform on Research and Innovation
Context
Research and innovation are vital for progress. Research offers policymakers a scientific basis for decisions grounded in data and evidence. It helps us to understand the global challenges we face, so that we can find the best way to overcome them and move towards a sustainable future. Meanwhile, innovation helps us bridge the gap between economic activities and respect for the environment, unlocking the potential of sustainable growth. The UfM aims to strengthen regional cooperation on research and innovation as a means of achieving its objectives of human and sustainable development, and as a way to push forward regional scientific diplomacy.
Research and Innovation cooperation between the shores of the Mediterranean is advancing concretely through different initiatives and programmes, such as the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA) and Horizon Europe’s Mediterranean Initiative. For instance, the total participation of South Mediterranean’s Countries to Horizon Europe and PRIMA is estimated to be above 1.1 billion EUR. (Source: European Commission).
The Platform's objective
UfM Regional Platform on Research and Innovation has its origins in 1995 when the first Euro-Mediterranean Committee was created to promote and monitor cooperation in the fields of research, technology and development.
Today, the UfM Regional Platform on Research and Innovation, coordinated by the UfM Co-Presidency, convenes UfM Member States to:
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- Recommend joint research priorities.
- Address science, technology, and innovation issues.
The dialogue includes observer participation from organizations like the League of Arab States, and connects with initiatives such as PRIMA and BLUEMED. This platform supports sustainable human development in the Euro-Mediterranean region through:
- acting as a forum for the exchange of information, views and recommendations on research and innovation policy in the Mediterranean region, and establishing a common information base on this subject;
- identifying issues of regional importance to be addressed by research and innovation and requiring cooperative Euro-Mediterranean activities, including initiatives from both shores;
- preparing and executing a work programme, where relevant, either through the Platform itself or through the establishment of ad-hoc working groups reporting directly to the Platform;
- proposing specific actions to be taken in the interest of the region;
- monitoring and providing feedback on research and innovation policies, developments and activities in the Euro-Mediterranean context;
- supporting and preparing the UfM Ministerial Meetings on Research and Innovation as well as reporting to and contributing to follow-up on issues concerning science, technology and innovation.
Key priorities
- Climate change, renewable energies and health are priority areas for stronger regional collaboration in research and innovation for the coming years. These priorities were agreed at the 25th Meeting of the UfM Platform on R&I held in June 2020, and elaborated by an Expert Group (EG) made up of leading academics in the field, in order to:
- develop a set of Roadmaps/Theories of Change and Impact Pathways (TCIPs) addressing key challenges and opportunities in each of the three priority areas of the platform; and
- prepare an assessment of horizontal linkages between these areas.
Policy framework
- Ministerial Declaration: the UfM Ministerial Declaration on Research and Innovation (2022).
- Roadmap: UfM Roadmap on R&I, Theories of Change and Impact Pathways (June 2022)
- Implementation Plan: Implementation Plan Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) R&I Priorities (June 2022)
The activities of the UfM Secretariat in the area of Research and Innovation aim to:
- contribute to Sustainable Development Goals 9, “Fostering innovation”, and 4, “Ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education for all”, as well as to all SDGs where the research and innovation dimension plays a crucial role in their successful achievement;
- aims to reinforce the positive role of Science Diplomacy in enhancing regional cooperation in the Mediterranean while developing skills and promoting circulation of talents, especially on fields of sustainable development where Research and Innovation play a prominent role;
- promote cross-cutting and enabling actions that facilitate the R&I Roadmaps, and in particular the knowledge triangle comprising research, continuity of education, innovation, which includes the following key stakeholders: researchers, students, entrepreneurs, NGO officers, and policy-makers, and
- promote innovation as a tool for building knowledge, skills, vocational training, careers and economic inclusion of Mediterranean graduates and researchers.
Key dates
- 27th Meeting of the Union for the Mediterranean Regional Platform in Research and Innovation (7 July 2021)
- The Ministerial Conference on research and innovation (R&I) of the Union for the Mediterranean (27 June 2022.)
- First Euro-Mediterranean Conference on Science Diplomacy (3 October 2023)
- UfM, EU, and LAS meet in Cairo to tackle challenges through R&I (3 October 2024)
(The platform started operating under different names since 1995 with the Process of Barcelona.)
Key partners
Related content
- Website: Euro-Mediterranean Hub for R&I offers a one-stop shop for informationon research results, best practices, policy papers and other relevant publications, as well as a portfolio of opportunities for R&I collaboration, such as funding opportunities, networks and cluster organisations. The main objective is to foster the exchange and circulation of knowledge and data among R&I stakeholders across the Mediterranean region in the fields of health, renewable energies and climate change.
- Publication: Take Away Ideas Report – Science and Innovation Diplomacy in the Mediterranean
- Handbook: Reinforcing the Innovation-Employability Nexus in the Mediterranean – A Handbook for Academia, Industry and Policymakers
- Initiative: SFS Med Platform – Sustainable Food Systems MED
