WEF - CAP | ENI CBC Med

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The Technology Transfer and Capitalization of Water Energy Food NEXUS

About the project

The European Union continues to be a global leader in terms of scientific outputs, but still lags in translating this advantage into products, services, processes and solutions that meet the demand. Failure to commercialize and deploy innovations in water, energy and food (WEF-NEXUS) means missing opportunities to improve resilience and efficiency in the use of these critical resources. WEF - CAP seeks to capture and rectify a microcosm of this reality: bring out effective economic activity from under-capitalized WEF innovations. Considering joint challenges at regional and cross-border level and the fragmented business ecosystem lacking of a cross-Mediterranean coherent framework, WEF-CAP will combine the capitalization and expansion of tools and methodologies used for innovation commercialization with the capitalization of WEF innovations in efficient practices for replication across the Mediterranean area. This will be done through the support of sustainable and resilient agri-food sector production, thus improving the energy and water efficiency: renewables, wastewater treatment, water harvesting and reuse, etc. WEF - CAP will apply past and ongoing WEF efficient practices and policies for replication under the framework of a meta cluster, reinforcing networks while mainstreaming gathered territorial evidences for effective capitalization. A successful implementation will enhance the regional SMEs competitiveness and the job creation, generating spillover effects in knowledge, resource efficiency, and the quality of life.

Key information

Acronym:

WEF - CAP

Full title:

The Technology Transfer and Capitalization of Water Energy Food NEXUS

Thematic objective:

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

Priority:

A.2.1 Technological transfer and commercialisation of research results

Countries:

Jordan, Tunisia, Greece, Italy, Spain, Egypt, France

Financial data

1.1 million

Total budget

1 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 consolidate a water, energy, and food regional meta cluster that fosters cooperation and tech-transfer while mainstreaming policy impact for innovation-driven growth.

What will be improved?

The project will lead to the creation of a multi stakeholder meta cluster that stimulates innovation and enabling policies. Successful and demonstrated technologies in WEF-NEXUS will be captured, analysed, benchmarked and catalogued, bringing them to the market with commercialization support and the supportive networking through the meta cluster, allowing broader deployment for more people to benefit from such innovations. Those tools that successfully help commercialization and tech-transfer will be documented and mobilized towards a greater number of researchers, innovators, and entrepreneurs as direct beneficiaries, leading to more spin-outs, start-ups, patenting, licensing, and entrepreneurial-driven economic growth on a firm level.

Who will benefit?

14 public institutions related to the WEF-NEXUS ecosystem
20 research centres or universities
50 SMEs
20 technology transfer organisations
35 communication media multipliers

Expected achievements

Creation of a meta cluster for the interaction of all members of WEF-NEXUS
An online platform enabled to identify representatives and initiatives in the region
12 pitching programs for researchers and start-ups
A database catalogue of efficient practices for replication
4 capitalization events gathering key players in the water, energy and food sector

Contribution to policy-making

WEF - CAP contributes to regional policy development of the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development 2016-2025 and 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, through capitalization of identified best innovative integrated WEF technologies to face Sustainable Development Goals (e.g. SDGs 6, 2 and 7 around water, food and energy security, respectively). Scheduled WEF-CAP outputs will also contribute to target actions A1-2, 4-6 of Dialogue 5+5 to stimulate growth, employment and entrepreneurship or the Mediterranean Initiative for Jobs (Med4Jobs) flagship of Union for the Mediterranean by supporting employability of youth and women. Initiatives such as Water Integrity Capacity Building Programme for MENA Region will be supported as a result WEF - CAP stocktaking of what has been achieved so far in terms of commercialisation and tech-transfer within the WEF NEXUS to change water situation in EU-MPC. WEF-CAP outputs complementary contribute to PRIMA initiative and JPI FACCE or WATER by involving a critical mass of actors, resources and strengthening R&I capacities to face future NEXUS challenges to guarantee sustainable farming systems and water management.

About the project

Acronym

WEF - CAP

Title

The Technology Transfer and Capitalization of Water Energy Food NEXUS

Description

Considering joint challenges at regional and cross-border level (section 1.3) and the fragmented EU-MPC business ecosystem lacking coherent framework, WEF-CAP will combine the capitalization and expansion of tools and methodologies used for innovation commercialization with the capitalization of WEF NEXUS innovations in efficient practices for replication across EU-MPC, thus supporting sustainable and resilient agri-food sector production with improved energy and water efficient (renewables, wastewater treatment, water harvesting, reuse, etc.). Structured on 5 WPs, WEF-CAP (24 months, 7 partners JO/TN/HE/IT/ES/EG/FR) will stocktake past/ongoing WEF NEXUS efficient practices and policies for replication under the framework of a meta cluster, reinforcing networks while mainstreams gathered territorial evidences for effective capitalization. Knowledge will cross-fertilize RRI practices and mainstream policy development, driving innovation-led growth. WEF-CAP targets 9 main projects representing 87 institutions, beyond other FBs (section 1.8), to facilitate WEF NEXUS tech-transfer and cooperation thus addressing existing and forthcoming NEXUS challenges while propagating entrepreneurial culture with particular attention paid to women and youth as innovation operators and beneficiaries. Successful implementation will contribute to regional SME competitiveness and the job creation, generating spillover effects in knowledge, resource efficiency, and the quality of life. WEF-CAP main outputs (section 1.6) include a WEF NEXUS meta cluster, a thematic observatory, a WEF NEXUS innovation commercialization Bootcamp and 12 vouchers, 3 policy briefs, 3 white papers, a practical guide, a synthesis report, a policy recommendations report, 12 capitalisation days; 3 multi stakeholders accelerator workshops, 3 clustering TEDs, 3 capitalisation nights, 3 networks cafés, a multinational capitalization conferences, contributing to proposed project indicators (section 2.1.3).

Role

Name of the organisation

Country

Region

Contact

Lead beneficiary

Royal Scientific Society

Jordan

Al-Aqaba

Partner 1

National Environmental Protection Agency

Tunisia

Partner 2

CENTRE FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES AND SAVING

Greece

Attiki

Partner 3

University of Catania

Italy

Sicilia

Partner 4

AUTONOMOUS UNIVERSITY OF BARCELONA

Spain

Cataluña

Partner 5

Egyptian Center for Innovation & Technology Development

Egypt

Al Iskandanyah

Partner 6

Euro-Mediterranean Forum of Institutes of Economic Sciences

France

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Associates

Role

Name of the organisation

Country

Associate 1

National Agricultural Research Center (NARC)

Jordan

Associate 2

Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT)

Egypt

Associate 3

Industrial Council for Technology and Innovation/Ministry of Trade and Industry in Egypt

Egypt

Associate 4

Integrated Entrepreneurial Programs Development Company- VentureX

Jordan

Associate 5

UN ESCWA Technology Center (ETC)

Jordan

Associate 6

West Asia North Africa for Development and Training (WANA Institute)

Jordan

Associate 7

Jordan Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Fund (JREEEF)/Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR)

Jordan

Associate 8

Association Eau et Développement (AED)

Tunisia

Project news

28 March 2023

Rethinking the Water-Energy-Food NEXUS in the Mediterranean: read first policy brief of WEF - CAP project

Thinking, rethinking and optimizing the relationship between energy production and storage, water management and food is becoming a challeng…

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

Rethinking the Water-Energy-Food NEXUS in the Mediterranean: read first policy brief of WEF - CAP project

WEF-CAP presents "MuSIASEM", a new solution to assess the use of natural ressources

Join the WEF - CAP public consultation to evaluate the best practices in water energy and food management

MAIA-TAQA, a new solution selected by WEF – CAP to mobilizing new areas of investments

WEF - CAP requests quotations for Egyptian Bootcamp and Commercialisation Café

WEF - CAP is excited to offer a 3-day bootcamp and mentorship program to help you develop and grow your business ideas

MATS, a solar power plant solution to be boosted by WEF-CAP

WEF – CAP presents BiOrangePack, a new solution to provide and optimize post-harvest processing, transport and distribution of citrus fruits

HYDROUSA, a new solution selected by WEF - CAP to revolutionize the water supply chain in the Mediterranean region

FEMISE is selecting freelancers or communication agencies for WEF - CAP Project

WEF - CAP provides a summary of the major environmental challenges for the Water, Energy and Food sector in its first policy brief

WEF – CAP selects a methodology from Blue Deal Lab (BLUELAB) project

DARBCO, a new solution selected by WEF - CAP for solar panels cleaning

Procurement opportunity in Spain under WEF-CAP project

WEF - CAP presented at the Innovation Day in Aqaba, Jordan

WEF - CAP presents ALICE, a new solution to reduce the Carbon Footprint of an Irrigation Community by the use of Solar Energy

WEF-CAP presents its metacluster in water-energy-food for technological transfer in its first newsletter

Aquapath - From From Consumer Awareness to behavioural Change. A new selection from WEF - CAP

WEF - CAP presents AGROgestor, a new solution to reduce environmental impact

WEF-CAP launches in Italy a call for auditor for the University of Catania

WEF - CAP presents Dynamic Agrivoltaism Solutions, a new tool to protect crops

WEF-CAP: Call for auditor for Egyptian Center for Innovation and Technology Development (ECITD) - Egypt

WEF-CAP: Call for auditor for Royal Scientific Society - Jordan

WEF-CAP: Call for auditor for National Agency of Environment Protection - Tunisia

WEF-CAP French partner FEMISE reaching out to policy makers

WEF-CAP: Auditor for the Centre for Renewable Energy Sources and Saving, Greece

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