Since 2017, ANIMA Investment Network, INSME Member, and its partners, including INSME, have federated a community of innovators and tech hubs around the Mediterranean with the ambition to contribute to facing the challenges of this region, the cradle of modern civilizations. Mitigating climate change, fighting against social and territorial imbalances, supporting the rise of technology, creating the jobs of tomorrow. The name of this ambition and community is deliberately immodest: THE NEXT SOCIETY.
In 2017, THE NEXT SOCIETY initiated an action plan, co-financed by the European Union up to 90% for a total amount of 7.8 million euros, which led to the following achievements, proving that a connected, collaborative and integrated Mediterranean basin can develop solutions to these major regional challenges and inspire others:
- Half of the 410 companies supported in Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia have been founded or co-founded by women. 78 technological partnerships and business contracts have been signed, 22 of the supported start-ups have raised more than 2 million euros and 142 jobs have already been created. 50 technologies have left the South Mediterranean laboratories to be developed within the framework of industrial partnerships or new company creations.
- 50% of these start-ups mobilise technology for the common good by offering concrete solutions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on hunger, health, education, environment and energy. Thanks to technology, these companies recycle waste or clothes, develop more efficient mobility, water or waste management solutions, rationalise the use of natural resources, detect childhood diseases or accelerate the dissemination of e-learning solutions.
Within the project, INSME organises a series of Policy webinars called “Policy Labs” to highlight national instruments or policies considered as innovation best practices.
THE NEXT SOCIETY is also at the origin of new regulatory frameworks that strongly accelerate innovation in several South Mediterranean countries: reform of the intellectual property regime in universities, support for the implementation of crowdfunding, adoption of tax measures that favour research in companies.
More information here.
Source: INSME Secretariat
