New initiative for a sustainable future in the Mediterranean

The EU-funded FUTURE4PRIMA project aims to enhance Mediterranean R&I, setting the stage for a renewed PRIMA partnership in the next EU Framework Programme. The project will foster collaboration among the R&I funding bodies of 16 PRIMA participating states, broadening PRIMA’s thematic scope. It will advance sustainable water management and food systems by advocating for an integrated resource management approach, aligning with the European Green Deal and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Central to FUTURE4PRIMA’s goals is the fast-track market introduction of innovative solutions. Moreover, it aims to deepen the collaboration among national R&I funding agencies, shape regulatory frameworks, drive economic growth and sustainable development in the Mediterranean region and allow the preparation of a renewed partnership with PRIMA2 under the next R&I framework programme.

Objective

FUTURE4PRIMA will reinforce and enlarge collaborations between R&I national funding institutions in the fields of sustainable agri-food systems and water management in the Mediterranean, as has been done within the Horizon 2020 (H2020) Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA), establishing a new PRIMA (“PRIMA2”). The project extends PRIMA activities across widening countries and beyond, especially towards third countries bordering the Mediterranean. It will ensure the leveraging of resources, pooled towards shared priorities addressing emerging challenges in the region and seeking complementarity with activities and policies with those of the Framework Programme and relevant European Partnerships and EU Missions. The proposal paves the way for extending the thematic focus of PRIMA to complementary fields only partially targeted in H2020 and Horizon Europe’s (HE) current and planned EU Partnerships and Missions and will add an integrated management approach of resources, including ecosystems, energy and health, to PRIMA’s original goal of sustainable water management and agri-food systems, accelerating the European Green Deal’s (EGD) objectives and globally, to the UN Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It will also build capacities to stimulate the uptake of R&I results aligning this process with real market and social needs. The consortium will promote relations among governments, enterprises, researchers and citizens for ensuring a sound sustainability and longevity well beyond the span of the project.