Description
The European Commission (EC) will organise the EU – South MED Matchmaking Event in the frame of ACHEMA expo which will be held on 10-14 June 2024.
The event will be jointly organised by the European Commission through the European Cluster Collaboration Platform (ECCP), in collaboration with ANIMA Investment Network, Euromed Clusters Forward, Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) and Chamber of Commerce and Industry Frankfurt am Main.
The EU – South MED Matchmaking Event will bring together cluster organisations and SMEs from the European Union (EU), non-EU countries participating in the Single Market Programme/COSME Strand, and South MED countries: Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Tunisia. It will provide participants an excellent chance to promote Cluster to Cluster (C2C), Cluster to Business (C2B), and Business to Business (B2B) collaborations.
Objectives
The objectives for the participants included:
- Strengthening EU-South MED cluster cooperation for the benefit of their members, including a seminar, a cluster matchmaking event, and site visits.
- Identifying potential areas of common interest for cooperation and synergies, in terms of the sectoral, value chain, and market focus of their SMEs and other companies.
- Improving, through clusters, the EU-South MED industry and academia-industry collaboration in research, development, and innovation. For its members, the clusters will identify possible areas of RDI collaboration (academia, research organisations, industries...).
Agenda and Activities
The EU – South MED Matchmaking Event will include the following activities:
- Preparatory Webinar – an opportunity to receive information on undertaking business with South MED and guidance on how to participate successfully in the planned event. (date tbc)
- Technical Webinar – a session helping future participants of the matchmaking event to make the most of their profiling in the B2Match tool and explain the procedures to optimise the booking of meetings. (date tbc)
- Site visits (date tbc)
- Seminar on knowledge exchange to foster EU- South MED cooperation. (11 June 2024)
- Pitching and Matchmaking meetings between cluster organisations and SMEs from EU (and non-EU countries participating in SMP/COSME Strand) countries and South MED Countries. All preselected South MED organisations are listed here. (11 June 2024)
- Debriefing session to collect feedback and testimonials from cluster participants. (11 June 2024)
- Participation at the global leading digital summit ACHEMA expo – 12 – 13 June 2024
Focus areas
- Green techs and energy
- Digital techs and ICT
- Mechanical engineering and manufacturing
- Pharma and biotechs
Call for Expression of Interest
This Calls for Expression of Interest is targeting cluster organisations and small and medium-sized enterprises from EU (and non-EU countries participating in the Single Market Programme (SMP)/COSME Strand) countries who wish to participate are now open.
Expressions of interest to participate in this event must be submitted electronically by 25 April (Wednesday) 2024, 23:59 Brussels time
📕Call for Expression of Interest - Clusters deadline first cut-off date 25 April 2024 – Apply now
📕Call for Expression of Interest - SMEs deadline 25 April 2024 – Apply Now
Late applications could be accepted for participation, if eligibility criteria are fulfilled and that costs are borne by the participants. Late applications are accepted until 4 June 2024, 23:59 Brussels time at the latest.
Looking back at past missions to the South MED region
The EU-South Med Cluster Matchmaking Event held in 2019 aimed to foster collaboration between European and South Mediterranean clusters in innovation and technology. The event provided an opportunity to network and explore potential partnerships in areas such as renewable energy, ICT, and healthcare. During three days, cluster participants attended various activities, including a cluster matchmaking event (150 meetings took place), workshops on business development, industry 4.0 and clusters in Maghreb. They visited LOGISMED 2019, a transport and logistics exhibition, MASCiR, ESITH, and CTI. Read more about 2019.
In 2021, the event continued its focus on collaboration and innovation, particularly emphasizing digital transformation and the green economy. It brought together key players from Europe and the South Mediterranean to share knowledge, ideas, and best practices and explore opportunities for cooperation. They discussed common visions and initiated discussions and co-creative processes by proposing pilot project ideas. Have a look at the 2021 agenda.
The 2023 edition of EU-South Med Cluster Matchmaking Event focused on fostering business connections, enhancing knowledge sharing and promoting innovative collaborations in the following sectors: Agri-Food, Cosmetics, Textiles, ICT, CleanTech and Energy. South-Med countries represent a diverse range of opportunities for the EU and its Member States, being our 6th largest trading partner, and 5th biggest export market (€115 billion) - with €227 billion of trade happening between the two in 2022 alone.
Clusters and their members were invited to discuss common visions and explore potential partnerships. The event provided a unique opportunity to share best practices, learn about the latest industry trends, and explore common areas of interest to strengthen economic ties and pursue trade, investment and partnering opportunities.
A total of 51 participants attended the event including 17 from Europe and 34 from South Med countries. Our delegation was composed of members from Bulgaria, Egypt, France, Hungary, Jordan, Lebanon, Lithuania, Moldova, Morocco, Palestine, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain & Tunisia and ranged from SMEs, clusters, and public institutions to business support and R&D organisations. There were also ECCP representatives from Belgium, the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom. Read more about 2023.