UfM Research representatives and stakeholders meet in Amman for discussing green innovation and careers

•  The Union for the Mediterranean and the Higher Council for Science and Technology organised a “UfM Forum on Green Innovation and Careers for Empowering the Mediterranean Youth: Triple Helix in Action”
• With 70 registered participants, the two days event saw the participation of Ministries of Research and Labour, Higher Education and Research institutes and initiatives, business and university networks, development funds and experts in innovation and employability.

Amman, 30-31 October 2022. With 45% of the population under the age of 25, the Mediterranean is a young region whose potential needs to be fully exploited for achieving a double green and digital transitions. At the same time, economic, environmental, and social challenges are negatively affecting youth employment such as lack of innovation, inflation, environmental and climate changes, and disruption in global supply chains.

Knowledge and skills can offer solutions to the many challenges in the Euro-Mediterranean region, by contributing to empower youth as agents of innovation, increasing the resilience and inclusive economic development of the Mediterranean region. Implementing this great potential for sustainable economic growth requires a stronger and structured dialogue between academia, governments, business sector, and civil society, with the aim to support environmental sustainability and job creation.

This was commonly agreed among the participants of the “UfM Forum on Green Innovation and Careers for Empowering the Mediterranean Youth: Triple Helix in Action”, a UfM-HCST event supported by GIZ, and hosted in the major ESCWA Conference “Arab SMEs Summit: Opportunities Beyond Borders”, held in Kempiski Hotel in Amman from 30 October to 1 November, which saw more than 600 participants attending under the auspices of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II.

During the Forum, three sessions were held, delving into the triple helix (the connection between academia, governments, and business sector), green innovation through research, and employability.

The main question that were discussed were:

– how government-academia-business cooperation is being advanced in the region,

– how innovation can support a green transition, and

– how to foster innovation, skills and employability to support Mediterranean citizens.

High-level participants from GIZ, FAO, PRIMA initiative, UNIMED, Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie, Association of Arab Universities, BUSINESSMED, and many accelerators and careere centers from UfM Countries.

An operational report will feed into the UfM initiative on the Innovation-Employability nexus.

Further information: Reinforcing the Innovation-Employability Nexus in the Mediterranean – A Handbook for Academia, Industry and Policymakers