UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel meets with PRIMA to discuss state of the art of Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean

• UfM SG Kamel met with Prima Co-chairs Angelo Riccaboni and Mohamed El-Shinawi, and Prima Director Octavi Quintana to discuss the current state of and future opportunities for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean.
• The Union for the Mediterranean is developing three new agendas for the future of research and innovation in the Mediterranean, on health, climate change and renewable energy.

18 May 2021. Today, a coordination meeting was held between Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and PRIMA to discuss the state of Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean, ongoing initiatives and future synergies.

The UfM structurally supports the PRIMA initiative, with strong cooperation active in many sectors, including on research, sustainable food systems and the WEFE (Water, Energy, Food, Ecosystems) nexus.

“During the last three years of operation, PRIMA activities have achieved a tangible impact in the region, funding Mediterranean teams of researchers. The UfM supports such endeavours and its ever-closer cooperation within the UfM frameworks in Research and Innovation” said the UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel.

The Secretary General highlighted that the UfM is working towards including PRIMA in its next ministerial gatherings on the fields where PRIMA is active, including the next UfM Ministerial Meeting on Environment and Climate Action, to be held in Cairo on 4-5 October 2021.

Furthermore, it was noted positively that PRIMA participated in the Stakeholder Consultations of the UfM Regional Platform on Research and Innovation, which is currently developing a new research agenda on climate change, health and renewable energy.

During the meeting, it was remarked that PRIMA had had a fruitful inclusion in the Independent Food Systems Summit Dialogues: “Pathways for the Sustainable Food Systems in the Mediterranean”.

Finally, the creation of a small working group for developing cooperation proposals, facilitating synergies and joint actions was agreed.