Rationale and Aims
In the last years, several events are undermining the stability and social cohesion of the region. Political uncertainty and persistent economic crisis are increasing poverty and social exclusion in both MPCs and EUMCs. Innovation and technology are recognised as a major driver for competitiveness and for long-run endogenous economic growth. But the region is characterised by a high prevalence of micro enterprises that need to acquire the due skills and to get the right support by governments.
MED-QUAD will be implemented by Public Bodies from Italy, Greece, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan and Palestine, territories that well depict the multifaceted features of the whole area.
The core aim of the project is to nurture the innovation potential of the region, by building up a cross-border cooperation scheme of the Quadruple Helix. The main actors are the universities which will improve their capacity to be and act as “Civic Universities” in strict cooperation with the cities to which they belong as “anchor” Institutions together with the socio-economic stakeholders and the citizens, who all will learn how to contribute in local planning processes and in shaping the local economies.
Expected Results
– Two cross-border Living Labs,
✓ SWUAP – Smart Water Use Applications,
✓ ARCHEO – Applied Research for Cultural Heritage Exploitation
will be organized in the involved cities as the physical places where several pilot activities for technological transfer and commercialisation of research results will be planned and implemented. They will exploit ICT technologies and KETs for water use optimization/consumption reduction and cultural heritage promotion/preservation, key issues for the countries.
– Through these concrete cases, the project will set up a toolkit for enhancing the institutional capacities of businesses, cities and universities of both shores to work together and reinforce their role as “catalysts” for fair and inclusive development.
– This methodology and a roadmap for innovation will be part of a jointly defined Action Plan that local and national authorities will be called to agree and subscribe.
– As part of the sustainability of the project methodology, targeted training will be delivered to the City Development Group (CDG) established in each involved City. These groups are the key actors for the identification of the social needs and the problem-solving process.
Expected outputs
– 2 Living Labs established
– 1 toolkit for the concrete cooperation of the 4 helices
– 1 joint Action Plan for innovation
– 8 joint projects between universities and SMEs launched
– 80 professionals benefiting from training on entrepreneurial skills
– 6 co-publications released
– 10 new innovative products/services commercialized.