The Innovative Sustainable Economy Community (ISEC) Hub of the Mediterranean online launch event was held on Wednesday, 2 October 2024, marking a new milestone in the Interreg Euro-MED Innovative Sustainable Economy Mission.
The event was moderated by Mercè Boy Roura, BETA TC (UVIC-UCC) and gathered around 70 participants, including representatives from partner organizations, the Interreg Euro-MED Programme, and a diverse range of Mediterranean stakeholders.
The event opened with an introduction by Guillame Javourez, Interreg Euro-MED Joint Secretariat, who gave an overview of the new Programme architecture, welcoming platforms such as ISEC Hub, which are essential to strengthen the adoption of common approaches to address some of the Mediterranean region’s pressing challenges. After this introduction, the Mission partners presented the Hub and the tools developed to Connect, Learn, Share and Collaborate.
ISEC Hub at a glance
ISEC Hub is a gateway for all Mediterranean innovators, a multisectoral community of people sharing the same goals, a place to get involved and be inspired. Theplatform fosters collaboration among professionals and organisations in the Green and Blue economy sectors, with the shared goal of driving transformative innovation and sustainability across the Mediterranean region.
ISEC Hub creates the ideal environment for stakeholder engagement and networking, particularly among Mission actors and the Quadruple Helix of Mediterranean stakeholders, as pointed out by Alessandro Daraio, Emilia-Romagna Region. The Hub is the outcome of a collective effort of the two Governance Projects during the last year, as Maria Calderó Pascual, BETA TC (UVIC-UCC), recalled.
The design process was enriched by a consultation workshop held in March, where the Hub’s first members, known as Ambassadors, provided feedback on the tools and virtual spaces proposed (find out more here).
Currently, ISEC Hub comprises 202 Members, representing about 30 countries across the Mediterranean, and it is expected to grow over time to become an increasingly balanced and inclusive space for collaboration.
Following the introduction, the Pillar Coordinators provided detailed insights into the Hub’s activities:
Maria Garcies, CPMR, and Andrea Di Girolamo, Adriatic Ionian Euroregion, presented Pillar CONNECT, which aims to create lasting connections among the Mediterranean critical mass over time. To this end, a KUMU Directory has been created to showcase the Mediterranean organisations represented by the different Hub members, their areas of interest, expertise and potential for collaboration. In addition, a Linkedin group is available to interact on different topics and share best practices, news and innovative solutions.
Haris Paliogiannis, MIO-ECSDE, discussed Pillar LEARN, which is dedicated at fostering mutual learning among stakeholders, providing access to a wide range of educational resources. The Pillar provides capacity building, learning, training opportunities and tailor-made mentoring programmes to support green and blue transition. For this purpose, an E-Library has been created, including a variety of webinars and educational materials to support the Mediterranean’s green and blue transition. ISEC Hub will also be a space for the Mission’s Thematic projects to transfer their results through specific tailor-made programmes, encouraging their replication by other actors. Stakeholders interested in participating can sign up via an online form.
Maria Calderó Pascual, BETA TC (UVIC-UCC), introduced Pillar SHARE, aiming at facilitating the dialogue among the Hub Members. Two tools are proposed: a Miro board to exchange information, opportunities for cooperation and access to the highlights and results of key events at the Euro-MED level and beyond; a rolling calendar to keep Members updated on the most relevant events in the Mediterranean.
Luisa Aparicio Jodar, MedWaves, presented Pillar COLLABORATE, with a twofold aim: identifying synergies with other Mediterranean hubs; facilitating the development of joint policy documents and enabling a collective contribution to the development of coherent and effective policy messages through a dedicated help desk.
All the tools described are available in the Mission’s website, in a webpage entirely dedicated to the Hub, where it is possible to find more detailed information, watch tutorials and subscribe as a Member.
The event closed with a keynote speech by Claire Roumet, Strategic partnerships, EU Policy & Overall Coordinator at Energy Cities. The contribution focused on the importance of mainstreaming the concept of sufficiency in EU policies to achieve climate neutrality. In this context, Ms. Roumet introduced the Manifesto A resilient and resource-wise Europe: sufficiency at the heart of the EU’s future, developed by Energy Cities and 97 other organisations from the Quadruple Helix, which sets out the key reasons on why sufficiency should be a priority of the EU’s strategic agenda. She then shared some examples of local sufficiency plansin Grenoble, Brussels and Geneva, highlighting the role of public services in ensuring sufficient resources and supporting local actors towards a sufficiency-driven economy.
