News

On the 1st and 2nd of December, the 10th GSO Meeting of the 5+5 Dialogue for Research, Innovation and Higher education took place online. The Italian National Institute for Oceanography and Applied Geophysics, representing Italy at the Dialogue 5+5 and hosting the Secretariat of this Forum, supported the organization of the meeting and moderated the discussion, in agreement with Mauritania, in the year of its presidency.

The delegates discussed the draft declaration in view of the next Ministerial Conference, which will be organized by Mauritania in May 2022 either in person or online, according to the pandemic situation.

On November 10-12, participants from the Countries of the Dialogue 5+5 will meet to discuss important issues for the Mediterranean region.

This three-day event will be organized as follows. The first day, co-organized by Spain and Algeria, will focus on "Creating new opportunities for youth". The second day, co-organized by Spain and Morocco, will analyze the topic of "Blended learning for increasing youth opportunities", with the participation of high-level speakers, including the Director of the International Cooperation structure of OGS, Dr. Mounir Ghribi, who will speak about the importance of developing blue skills to tackle youth unemployment in the Mediterranean Region. Finally, the third day, co-organized by Spain and Tunisia, will focus on "Technology transfer and improving intellectual property management capacity".

This initiative confirms the strong willingness to collaborate at a regional level in the fields of innovation, research and higher education, to address current challenges through science diplomacy and international cooperation.

If you wish to participate to these workshops, please send an email to: fiveplusfiverihe@inogs.it

• Resources and training material available at this page: link

The new edition of the WestMED Stakeholder Conference, organized under the Italian and Libyan Co-Presidency of the WestMED Initiative, will take place in Rome on 9 November 2021. The Conference, which will also be streamed online, will be structured around the notion of “Corridors to Sustainable Blue Development”.

The three sessions will focus on the main political developments on the Blue Economy in the region, including a discussion of project cooperation and funding, and will be organized as follows:

Corridors to enhanced cooperation: focused on the main political developments on the Blue Economy in the region

Corridors to project cooperation: with projects that lead the way regarding impact, innovation and replicability/ transferability

Corridors to funding and financial cooperation: bridging the gap between projects and potential sources of support at the outset of the new programming period 2021-2027

The Conference will also host the Ceremony of the first edition of the WestMED Project Awards. 

Please find the agenda at the following link: https://www.westmed-initiative.eu/westmed-conference-2021/

You can register at this form: https://ecorysevents.eventsair.com/stakeholder-conference-2021/l/Site/Re...

The Union for the Mediterranean is organizing a workshop on October 27, 28 and 29, 2021, titled ‘Increasing Awareness of Science Diplomacy in The Mediterranean’. The training, implemented by CREAF, a public research center dedicated to terrestrial ecology, land analysis and global change, will take place online, from 10:00 to 13:00 CEST.

This training activity on Science Diplomacy in the Mediterranean will explore how regional multi-stakeholder cooperation can help achieve long-term sustainability and prosperity in the region through science and innovation. The programme will combine expert lectures and panels with leading science diplomacy scholars and practitioners with professional development and skills-building sessions, interactive case studies, networking opportunities, and leadership training.

Participants will be selected to ensure balance of stakeholders, gender, career level, and geographic diversity from the 42 UfM Member States. Through the training, they will be provided with in-depth knowledge, skills, practical tools, and networks to put science diplomacy into action for the benefit of the Mediterranean.

The workshop will be articulated in three-sessions, at the end of which participants will receive a certificate of completion, issued by the UfM.

For more information on the event, please visit the website https://bit.ly/3ngR3TC

The registration form is available at the following link https://bit.ly/3DZBINS (open until 26 October)

The Platform for Mediterranean Research and Innovation, also known as Plumtri, is a platform for stakeholders in the Mediterranean region.

The platform, administered by the Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST), provides users with the opportunity to connect and network with one another and gain access to relevant information on a multitude of R&I news, events, and funding opportunities.

By registering to Plumtri, you will gain access to all of its useful features, including the possibility of finding partners for collaborative research, engaging with other members, as well as gaining access to further R&I related resources

Please visit the Plumtri website to learn more about the platform: https://www.plumtri.org/

In order to benefit from the networking opportunities, you can register at this link: https://www.plumtri.org/member/register

The Union for the Mediterranean organizes a two-day training on October 21st and 22nd, 2021. The course “Linking academic research to industry” aims to re-examine the interaction between academia and industry, focusing on the importance of the alliances and networking between the industry and higher education institutions and research centres.

The training, which is part of a series of activities organized by the UfM to address the unemployment of highly qualified graduates, will focus on the national example of Tunisia with the cooperation of the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MESRS) and with the support of GIZ, on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany (BMZ). Tunisian graduates, especially in scientific fields have increased dramatically, yet the industry still needs more confidence in the potential value added of these graduates. 

The initiative will bring together high-level speakers, including Dr. Mounir Ghribi, Director of International Cooperation at OGS, who will discuss this issue with respect to the sectors of the Sustainable Blue Economy.

The training will have two live online class sessions. The working languages will be English/French/Arabic (with live interpretation in French/Arabic/English).

Please find the draft agenda here: https://ufmsecretariat.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Draft-Agenda_Innov...

To register, click here: https://ufmsecretariat.org/registrationformin-emtrainingtunisia

The Workshop is jointly organized in virtual mode by the Centre for Science and Technology of the Non-Aligned & Other Developing Countries (NAM S&T Centre) and the Committee on Capacity Development of the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR) during 8-9 November 2021.
The objective of the virtual Workshop is to highlight the role of ocean science and technology in blue economic development. The Workshop will introduce current concepts in the blue economy, followed by a discussion of specific topics that include coastal marine resources of economic relevance, environmental threats that endanger blue economic goals, the importance of ocean observing systems and the need for capacity development. By illuminating the use and misuse of Science and Technology in blue economies, the Workshop aims to help establish the foundation of scientific knowledge and ocean observations to support sustainable ocean development. The Workshop will be open to ocean scientists, government officials, policy makers, and representatives from industry and nongovernment organizations from NAM and other developing countries, as well as developed countries.

To participate, please register here: http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=nmzjwjyab&oeidk=a07...
Deadline: 25 October 2021

Please note that before the Workshop a detailed programme will be made available to participants, who will also receive the details about connection to the virtual platform that will be used.
For more information about the topics of the workshop, please find the concept note here: https://scor-int.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Workshop-Announcement-Bl...

The Advanced Master in Sustainable Blue Growth is jointly organized by the University of Trieste and the Italian National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics - OGS.

The Master will start in January 2022 and will be held in Trieste (or online, depending on the COVID-19 situation) in three sessions of 15 days each: March, June and September 2022.

Through a multidisciplinary approach, which brings together over 50 professors and speakers, the Master aims to increase the professional skills and the quality of research in the marine and maritime sectors. Students will learn about the sustainable blue economy from a new perspective, which includes the innovative topic of science diplomacy. The lectures will be enriched with hands-on workshops/seminars and some testimonial lectures from leading companies in the field of blue technology innovation. Postgraduate candidates with no restriction to age and citizenship are invited to apply. Please note that all Master classes are taught in English, therefore applicants need to pass an interview to prove that they are proficient with the language.

For further information about the eligibility criteria, please read the Master General Regulation.

Application Deadline: 7 October 2021 at 23.59 CET (Italian Time)

More information available on the website: http://bluegrowth.inogs.it/

The Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the EU and the European Investment Bank (EIB) will organise a High-Level EU-Africa Forum on Green Investment on 23 April 2021, after a month of talks between African and European countries about the green transition and investment. The event will consist of around 25 online Green Talks, transmitted from capital cities on the two continents.

This forum will bring together representatives of government and business, international financial and development institutions, civil society and academe, showcasing a range of perspectives on sustainable development and green investment. It will be an opportunity to share experiences and innovative approaches to mobilising private and public capital to support the green transition in Africa and Europe, showing how a green and sustainable business model can be profitable, create jobs and wealth, whilst also helping the world to achieve its climate goals.

Topics covered will include:

• the role of the EU and its Member States in curbing climate change across the world, with a focus on Africa
• how international financial institutions are responding to this challenge through targeted, innovative instruments and enhanced outreach
• how private sector models are changing to become greener and more sustainable.

The Portuguese Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Augusto Santos Silva, and the EIB President, Werner Hoyer, will jointly conduct the opening session.

The programme

More Information

On 17 March, the UfM Regional Research and Innovation Platform will host a Virtual Kick Off Consultation to chart a course for its future.

Bringing together members of the newly established Expert Group, as well as other key stakeholders from national contact points and relevant research institutions and organisations, the meeting will build on the UfM’s longstanding commitment for an effective Euro-Mediterranean regional cooperation agenda.

The kick-off event for the consultation will open with introductions from UfM Platform Bureau co-chairs, Ms Nienke Buisman (DG Research and Innovation (RTD), European Commission) and Ms Rasha Smadi (HCST Jordan), as well as Itaf Ben Abdallah, UfM Secretariat and Senior Adviser on R&I.

Participants will discuss the horizontal integration aspects of the UfM R&I priorities, as well as the three Roadmaps/Theory of Change and Impact Pathways (TCIPs). Drafted by the Expert Group for mutual R&I cooperation development, these three roadmaps focus on the following priority areas: health, renewable energy and climate change.

The consultation process will also address the following issues: linkages between research and innovation, the major threats faced by research and development in the Mediterranean region, and how regional cooperation on science, innovation and development benefit local societies and contribute to a sustainable process.

The event is divided into two sections. First, members of the Expert Group commissioned by the UfM Platform to develop the Roadmaps will make short presentations on the state of play according to the three priority areas of Climate Change, Renewable Energies, and Health, including the Horizontal Approach to Crisis Management.

Following the presentations, invited participants will have the chance to make their preliminary remarks and ask any questions on the overall stakeholder consultation including the objectives and clarifications on how to contribute.

After registration, participants will receive the final agenda and the information to connect to the seminar a few days before the event.

• Registration link: https://technopolisgroup.limequery.org/582879?lang=en
• More information: https://ufmsecretariat.org/event/ufm-regional-platform/