WEBINAR: Mediterranean agricultural enterprises

28 October 2021 (4 pm): International workshop “DIALOGUES ON INNOVATION IN THE MEDITERRANEAN AGRI-FOOD SYSTEM”. Purpose of the conference is to contribute to the identification of strategies for the creation of an environment conducive to the sustainable development of the agri-food sector, a pillar for the socio-economic growth of many Mediterranean countries, by leveraging on young people and on the combination of innovation and competitiveness. Link to register: https://events.iamb.it/p/event/medagrweek + Programme

The purpose of the conference is to contribute to the identification of strategies for the creation of an environment conducive to the sustainable development of the agri-food sector, a pillar for the socio-economic growth of many Mediterranean countries, by leveraging on young people and on the combination of innovation and competitiveness. 

Building on the experience gained by CIHEAM Bari through the "WaterMedyin" project funded by the Italian Cooperation and the "Mediterranean Innovation Partnership" network, thanks to the testimonies of stakeholders and actors from the public and private world, the seminar intends to encourage a discussion on the importance of promoting development initiatives that focus on the link between innovation and competitiveness and on the relevance of youth entrepreneurship. 

This link is in fact a driving force for the creation and change of agricultural enterprises, integrating the three dimensions of sustainable development (environmental, social and economic), in line with the United Nations 2030 Agenda. Some of the issues that will be addressed are: 

1. Tools and methods to support youth entrepreneurship as an engine for sustainable growth; 
2. Adaptation and enhancement of the services of specialised organisations (incubators, accelerators, business organisations, etc.); 
3. Open innovation as a lever to unlock business potential and increase competitiveness; 
4. Public-private partnerships for innovation; 
5. Networking at local and international level.

Opening 

• Maurizio Raeli – CIHEAM Bari Director Michele Emiliano – Apulia Region 
• President Teodoro Miano – CIHEAM Vice President 
• Mohammed El Razzaz – Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) 
• Gianpiero Menza – Senior Partnerships & Innovative Finance Officer, Alliance/CGIAR 

 Methods and tools to support entrepreneurship in Italy's partner countries 

• Ennio Antonetti – Officer assigned as supervisor of the WaterMedyin project by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) 
• Alessandro Dessì – WaterMedyin Project Manager, CIHEAM Bari 

Youth and innovation for the sustainable development of the agri-food sector in the Mediterranean: the experience of the MIP - Mediterranean Innovation Partnership 

• Damiano Petruzzella – Scientific Administrator of Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Area, CIHEAM Bari 

Innovation and competitiveness of the Mediterranean entrepreneurial system 

• Jihen Boutiba – BusinessMed Secretary General 
• Marco Gay – Anitec-Assinform Confindustria President 

Innovation and sustainability in the age of artificial intelligence 

• Roberto Ridolfi – LINK2007 President 

Panel Discussion: Innovation networks, cooperation between research and enterprises in the Mediterranean 

• Chairman Biagio Di Terlizzi – Deputy Director CIHEAM Bari Moderator 
• Damiano Petruzzella – Scientific Administrator of Youth Entrepreneurship and Innovation Area, CIHEAM Bari 
• Giuseppe Pirlo – Delegate of the UNIBA Rector 
• Antonello Garzoni – Rector of LUM University
• Andrea Barzetti – CEO of Almacube Edoardo Negri – Startup Italia 
• Evelina Visoci – Ministry of Agriculture, Albania - Focal Point MIP 
• Cyrine Ben Khamlia – Service de soutien aux entreprises – APIA, Tunisia 
• Akmal Akramkhanov – ICARDA Mediterranean Innovation HUB 

Full programme:

25-28/10. Mediterranean Innovation Agrifood week by CIHEAM Bari

• 25-27/10: Seminars on strengthening the services and ecosystem of ISOs – Innovation Support Organizations, provided in the framework of a capacity building programme started last July and addressed to the representatives of the MIP network and the ISOs of the Mediterranean region. Link to register: https://events.iamb.it/p/event/wmwebinar2021 + Programme
• 27/10 (3pm-5pm): MIP-Mediterranean Innovation Partnership Annual Meeting, for the discussion and approval of the 2021-22 action plan. Establishment of the WATERMEDYIN network, an international working group dedicated to innovation and sustainability in the agri-food sector, with the participation of Business Med, Mediterranean Innovation Hub and several ISOs from Tunisia, Palestine and Lebanon. Programme
• 28/10 (10am-1pm): INVESTOR DAY & BUSINESS MATCHING – brokerage event, dedicated to 15 start-ups, selected in the framework of WATERMEDYIN project, from Tunisia, Palestine and Lebanon. Programme