EMPHASIS

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Euro-Mediterranean Network Facilitating Market Uptake of Innovations from SMEs

About the project

EMPHASIS is set on co-creating a Mediterranean Open Innovation (OI) ecosystem, in which knowledge flows across borders and is translated into marketable innovations. The project will co-design, deploy and validate a Mediterranean OI service platform, aiming at better linking the fragmented innovation systems of the region by facilitating meaningful cross-border knowledge flows, empower SMEs with the skill-sets required to tap into external knowledge base and turn it into value and identify fields that can turn sustainability challenges (e.g., agri-food, energy, materials) into business opportunities. EMPHASIS will lead to the uptake of the results from a series of projects to identify SMEs, assess their ‘readiness’ to engage with OI and provide them advisory services - in the form of vouchers – to enhance their innovation capacity to build partnerships, covering the different stages of their innovation journeys. A joint transnational approach will be a solid action to address the sustainability agendas through effective market uptake of research outputs.

Key information

Acronym:

EMPHASIS

Full title:

Euro-Mediterranean Network Facilitating Market Uptake of Innovations from SMEs

Thematic objective:

A.2 Support to education, research, technological development and innovation

Priority:

A.2.2 SMEs access to research and innovation

Countries:

Greece, Jordan, Spain, Lebanon, Egypt, Italy

Financial data

0.8 million

Total budget

0.7 million

EU contribution

10%

Project co-financing

Highlights

Project in numbers

Partners

Countries

Technical outputs

Project duration

Start date

01 September 2021

End date

31 August 2023

Partnership

News

Events

Library

Project outputs

Documents

Videos

Objective

To deploy an Open Innovation system that supports SMEs to exploit sustainability business opportunities through external cross-border partnerships across the Mediterranean

What will be improved?

The implementation of EMPHASIS will provide a working collaboration of cross-border partnerships sharing knowledge and working together on co-creating new products and services within real-life environments with the user in focus. It will increase capacities of SMEs to innovate and their readiness to engage with innovation partners, turning external knowledge into new products, services and business opportunities. The project will validate the Open Innovation approach and will engage policy-makers and stakeholders, contributing to its mainstreaming. EMPHASIS will address SMEs of various patterns of innovation activity, including those that are not the usual beneficiaries of policy interventions, namely SMEs in non-high-tech sectors, as high-tech SMEs barely represent 8% of the total.

Who will benefit?

SMEs, start-ups and spin offs involved in submission of Open Innovation opportunities
At least 12 enterprises providing Open Innovation opportunities will be assisted
Clusters and networks of SMEs and Spin-offs
Researchers and Research Units developing solutions in the field of sustainability
Innovation policy authorities
Business support structures
More than 60 public authorities, institutional actors and policy makers

Expected achievements

An Open Innovation platform enabled, providing online tools to post supply and demand of innovation
60 innovation opportunities proposed by SMEs boosted through an Open Call
24 SMEs supported with advisory services
6 regional capacity building seminars organized

Contribution to policy-making

EMPHASIS has inherited a substantial legacy of accumulated knowledge and experience from ENPI, ENI and other initiatives. This legacy will be capitalized through the inclusion of key members of many of these former and ongoing projects in the EMPHASIS consortium, adding a dimension of continuity and relevance to the proposed activities. The project is expected to contribute directly to the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) targets, the Smart Specialization Strategy and the Europe Green Deal Strategy, as well as EU's and MPC countries long-term sustainability goals. Furthermore, it will support the Joint Africa-EU Strategy through exchanges with the EU-AU High Level Policy Dialogue groups (research partnerships on food and nutrition security and sustainable – FNSSA, renewable energy - RE and climate change and sustainable energy-CCSE). The cooperation among different regions, development of strategic partnerships and input from open call, innovation support services and joint projects development will be mainstreamed into regional policy making through community and dedicated engagement activities.

About the project

Acronym

EMPHASIS

Title

Euro-Mediterranean Network Facilitating Market Uptake of Innovations from SMEs

Description

EMPHASIS is set on co-creating a EUROMED Open Innovation (OI) ecosystem, in which knowledge flows across borders and is translated into marketable innovations. EMPHASIS will co-design, deploy and validate a EUROMED OI service platform, aiming at better linking the fragmented innovation systems of the region by facilitating meaningful cross-border knowledge flows, empower SMEs with the skill-sets required to tap into external knowledge base and turn it into value and identify fields that can turn sustainability challenges (e.g. agri-food, energy, materials) into business opportunities. EMPHASIS will lead to the uptake of the results from a series of projects to identify SMEs, assess their ‘readiness’ to engage with OI and provide them advisory services - in the form of vouchers – to enhance their innovation capacity to build partnerships, covering the whole spectrum of their innovation journeys (i.e. different stages) leading to cross-border innovation projects with peers from other participant countries for growth, competitiveness and job creation. We anticipate that the operation of EMPHASIS will provide a collaboration framework of cross border innovation partnerships, co-creating new products & services within real-life environments with the user in focus. For all challenges and opportunities identified in both Mediterranean sides, we posit that a joint transnational approach can only be a solid intervention for addressing the sustainability agendas through effective market uptake of research outputs. To this end, the Open Innovation Network will deploy novel bottom-up models of crossborder collaborative innovation and leverage support services and tools to stimulate OI across EUROMED, building a vibrant community of OI actors (including academia, government, industry and society) along the way. The partnership is composed of experienced innovation practitioners from both public and private sector that are competent on open innovation and support of SMEs.

Role

Name of the organisation

Country

Region

Contact

Lead beneficiary

KiNNO INNOVATION INTERMEDIARIES LTD

Greece

Attiki

Partner 1

Jordan University of Science and Technology

Jordan

Irbid

Partner 2

Association of the Mediterranean Chambers of Commerce and Industry

Spain

Cataluña

Partner 3

Industrial Research Institute

Lebanon

Partner 4

Confederation of Egyptian European Business Associations

Egypt

Al Iskandanyah

Partner 5

Science and Technology Park of Sicily

Italy

Sicilia

Associates

Role

Name of the organisation

Country

Associate 1

Applied Scientific Research Fund

Jordan

Associate 2

The Alexandria Chamber of Commerce

Egypt

Associate 3

TECHNOPOLIS GKAZI ANONIMI ETAIREIA OTA PROSTASIA KAI ANADEIXIS VIOMICHANIKOU ARCHAIOLOGIKOU PARKOU ATHINON

Greece

Associate 4

Eurecat

Spain

Associate 5

Notre Dame University -Louaize

Lebanon

Associate 6

TREE S.r.l.

Italy

Project news

27 August 2023

EMPHASIS Project Celebrates Success at Grand Final Conference

The EMPHASIS project culminated with a resounding success as its final conference, which took place the 27th July in Amman, Jordan, bringing together innovators, entrepreneurs and stakeholders from across the M…

Sustainable tourism

Artisanal fishing

Green entrepreneurship

Technology transfer

Resource efficiency

Creative industries

Elderly care

Social and solidarity economy

Women’s empowerment

Water efficiency

Waste management

Marine litter

About the project

Key information

Financial data

Highlights

Project in numbers

Project duration

Partnership

News

Events

Library

Project outputs

Documents

Videos

Objective

What will be improved?

Who will benefit?

Expected achievements

Contribution to policy-making

About the project

Associates

EMPHASIS Project Celebrates Success at Grand Final Conference

EMPHASIS Fostering Innovation Ecosystems: Insights from Jordan's Open Innovation Workshops

EMPHASIS: Empowering Egyptian SMEs with Innovative Skills and Strategies Through Captivating Training Seminars

Empowering Innovation in Italy: 4 Beneficiaries of the EMPHASIS Project

Empowering SMEs through Open Innovation: Insights from the 2nd EMPHASIS Open Day in Egypt

EMPHASIS Project Empowers Lebanese SMEs to Innovate and Thrive Amid Crisis

EMPHASIS Empowers 4 Jordanian SMEs to Forge Open Innovation Partnerships in the Mediterranean Region

EMPHASIS: External Expert needed to Support Innovation Capacities of SMEs in Greece

Training Expert needed under EMPHASIS project to Conduct Seminars for Egyptian SMEs on Innovation and Technology Transfer

EMPHASIS Greece: Supporting 4 Greek SMEs to explore potential partnerships in the Mediterranean

Get to know the 4 Egyptian SMEs selected for the EMPHASIS Open Call

Collaboration for Success: EMPHASIS and PPI4MED Joining Forces to increase their impact in the Euro-Mediterranean region.

The 4 Spanish SMEs Selected for the EMPHASIS Open Innovation Support Program

EXTENDED Opportunity: External Expert needed for support services on Active Open Innovation for the EMPHASIS project in Spain

EXTENDED: EMPHASIS in Spain launches a tender for the provision of innovation support services to 4 SMEs

Opportunity: External Expert needed for the Innovation Audit of 4 EMPHASIS Beneficiaries in Egypt

EMPHASIS project provides its Innovative Support Services to 4 Lebanese SMEs

EMPHASIS' final beneficiaries to participate in the Mediterranean Innovation Hub in Barcelona

Jordan: EMPHASIS launches a tender for the provision of support services to four SMEs

EMPHASIS - Jordan: External Expert needed to provide Open Innovation related services

EMPHASIS Jordanian Partner is looking for an external auditor

EMPHASIS establishes synergies to improve support for innovation and entrepreneurship in Jordan

EMPHASIS selects 24 Mediterranean SMEs to receive Open Innovation Support Services

Opportunity: External Auditor needed for the EMPHASIS project in Greece

2nd EXTENSION for Spanish and Lebanese SMEs to apply for the EMPHASIS Open Call!

EXTENDED DEADLINE: EMPHASIS offers FREE Innovation Support Services to 24 Mediterranean SMEs!

EMPHASIS project in Lebanon builds synergies with the TRANSDAIRY project to support the dairy industry

OPEN CALL: EMPHASIS provides Services to selected SMEs to power up their Innovation Potential

EMPHASIS Focus Group in Spain identifies Open Innovation Best Practices to adopted across the Mediterranean

SAVE THE DATE: EMPHASIS launches the 1st of May its Call for the Identification of Open Innovation Opportunities

OPPORTUNITY: EMPHASIS partner in Egypt is seeking the services of a Marketing and Video Production Agency

Jordanian Open Day introduces the EMPHASIS project to stakeholders from the Tech and Tourism Industries

Get to know EMPHASIS, the project that aims to commercialize small business innovations in six Mediterranean countries!

Jordan University of Science and Technology, partner of EMPHASIS project, is looking for an External Auditor

Job Opportunity: Communication Manager needed for the EMPHASIS project in Lebanon

Opportunity: External Auditor needed for the EMPHASIS project in Egypt

The Industrial Research Institute, Lebanese partner of EMPHASIS, is looking for a Technical Expert

The Industrial Research Institute, Lebanese partner of EMPHASIS, is looking for an External Auditor

EMPHASIS in Spain is looking for an External Auditor in Spain

EMPHASIS Project Journey: 2 Years of Cross-Border Innovation and Collaboration

EMPHASIS Project to boost SAID SAIFAN's International Success in Premium Olive Tree Products from Lebanon

EMPHASIS Open Call for Innovative Sustainability Ideas from Mediterranean SMEs!

EMPHASIS Press Release: EU-funded project aiming to Commercialize Innovations from SMEs launches in 6 Mediterranean Countries

Projects view

Revolutionize Your Innovation Journey: Join Us for an Exclusive Webinar on the EMPHASIS Platform!

Invitation to attend the EMPHASIS Project Workshop on Building Bridges Across the Euro-Mediterranean

INVITATION: Advancing Open Innovation in the Euro-Med Region through the EMPHASIS Workshop

Join us at the EMPHASIS Final Conference: Embracing Open Innovation for a Thriving Future