INTECMED maps priorities for innovation transfer in four Mediterranean regions

The INTECMED project has as target regions: Andalusia (Spain), Alexandria Governorate (Egypt), Cap Bon Governorate (Tunisia) and Dytiki Ellada (Western Greece). Like most areas of the Mediterranean basin, these regions are heterogeneous in terms of innovation capacities and policies. However, they all have a common challenge, which is to overcome the obstacles of different actors working with innovation at the local level, coordinate their actions and find synergies.

The project aims to develop an integrated innovation ecosystem at the local level, to support technology transfer and commercialization of research results, to improve the linkages between the various innovation players, notably the science system and higher education, the government (especially at the local level), the private sector (mainly SMEs), and also the citizens.

For this purpose, each region has established a regional committee named Regional Alliance for Innovation Transfer (RAIT). Each RAIT is composed of key representatives of the regional innovation ecosystem, such as innovation facilitators (policy makers), innovation producers (academia, universities, etc.), innovation hosts (business world) and the civil society.

The RAITs will be responsible for mapping the priorities, as well as the technological and business identity of the specific region, and implementing the Business Ready Innovation Mechanism (BRIM) methodology, which is a detailed specialisation of an entrepreneurial discovery, i.e. finding new business opportunities for the utilization of knowledge and its integration into value chains.

The RAITs are also responsible to operate the INTECMED tools and procedures and will implement all activities towards the identification of research results, maturing these results and transforming them into business-ready innovations and promote them in networking events.

Each RAIT has drafted a report about the innovation ecosystem in their region: