Community4Innovation is an Interreg Euro-MED Thematic Community Project aiming to strengthen innovative sustainable economy (ISE) in the Mediterranean region. In order to support the transition to a circular economy and consolidate a competitive innovation ecosystem, the project focuses on developing and enhancing research and innovation capacities throughout its entire network.
Another goal of the Community4Innovation project is to help in establishing a Community of Practice as a process of gathering collective knowledge and learning among projects.It incorporates transnational cooperation, as well as the creation of a Hub aiming to establish a strong and multi-sectorial network in the field of ISE.
To amplify individual thematic projects’ results and raise the overall mission impact, the mission relies on the know-how and field implementation knowledge of the Thematic Community Project along with the policy and advocacy knowledge of the Institutional Dialogue Project.
The Thematic Community Project (TCP) internally identified as Community4Innovation (C4I), favours the conditions for synergy and coordination between the Thematic projects. It will also implement transferring activities of the knowledge and innovative solutions generated by the TPs to other actors and territories, as well as mainstreaming results and strategies into local, regional, national, and European policies in partnership with relevant institutions. The Institutional Dialogue Project internally identified as Dialogue4Innovation (D4I), supports institutional coordination with and between regional, national, and European authorities, initiatives, and strategies in the Mediterranean region.
Jointly the two governance projects contribute to:
- Facilitating the exploitation and REUSE of knowledge, experiences, and project results towards other stakeholders;
- Facilitating the TRANSFER of results to other stakeholders, Programs and territories and their mainstreaming into local, regional, national, and European policies; and
- Increasing COORDINATION between stakeholders covering the Mediterranean based on shared knowledge, experiences, and results.
Partners on the Community4Innovation project are:
- Balmes University Foundation – BETA Technological Centre (ES)
- REVOLVE (ES)
- Dynamic Vision (EL)
- Centre for Energy, Environment and Resources (BA)
- Association of Cities and Regions for Sustainable Resource Management (BE)
- University of Siena – Department of Physical Science, Earth and Environment (IT)
- Mediterranean Information Office for Environment, Culture and Sustainable Development (EL)
- Business and Innovation Sea Cluster – Toulon Var Technology (FR)
- Waste Agency of Catalonia – MedWaves, the UNEP/MAP Regional Activity Centre for SCP (ES)
- Green Synergy Cluster (BG)
The Community4Innovation project work plan is structured in three directions:
- 9 activities within WP1 (REUSE), whose tasks include monitoring and compiling documents from relevant institutions and projects, creating, enriching and sustaining a user-friendly database to map ISE related stakeholders in the Euro-MED area and beyond, organizing trainings and workshops and creating a Catalogue of Actionable Knowledge, among other activities
- 7 activities within WP2 (TRANSFER), meant to ensure the transfer and mainstreaming of TPs’ results to other territories and their uptake by other stakeholders, establish a multisectoral community space to support and connect the Euro-MED critical mass, etc. and
- 5 activities within WP3 (COORDINATION) – including the C4I Strategic Plan, establish multiple collaborations sustained over a long-term period for mutual benefits and strategic interests, Advocacy activities and others
