PRIMA COLLABORATE – AN EVENT UNITING MED RESEARCHERS IN MALTA FOR INNOVATION
The Malta Council for Science and Technology’ Internationalisation Unit, hosted the hybrid PRIMA Collaborate event on February 8th and 9th, 2024. The event marked a great occasion for prospective applicants to familiarise with the PRIMA Program calls for R&I proposals 2024, learn how to prepare a successful application and network with potential consortium partners, to encourage collaboration among researchers in Malta, fostering innovation in the Mediterranean region.
The first day commenced with welcome speeches from MCST Chairman Dr. Tonio Portughese, esteemed guest Prof. Mohamed El Shinawi, Co-chair of the PRIMA Foundation, and Parliamentary Secretary Hon. Keith Azzopardi Tanti. Following these speeches, the Panel Discussion themed ‘Synergies to Mediterranean Priorities for Research and Innovation’ commenced.
Chaired by Sonya Sammut, Director of Food Systems within the Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights in Malta (seated on the left) the panel featured insightful discussions from esteemed panellists spanning various levels of Research and Innovation.These included:
Maria Maia, Science and Policy Officer of the Department for International Relations within the Foundation for Science and Technology in Portugal, and the 5+5 Dialogue Delegate for Science and Portuguese Presidency Secretariat.
Marco Orlando, Project Officer within the Thematic Area Water Management of the PRIMA Foundation.
MCST representatives Omar Cutajar, Senior Director of the Strategy, Research and Technical Affairs unit.
Martin Vieira, National Contact Point for European Innovation Council, European Innovation Ecosystems and European Institute of Innovation and Technology.
Professor Luciano Mule Stagno, Professor and Director at the Institute for Sustainable Energy, University of Malta and member of the ‘Marine and Maritime Technologies’ RIS3 Committee.
Alessio Bucaioni, Co-founder and CEO of WES Trade Ltd.
The discussion highlighted the significance of initiatives like PRIMA and the Horizon Europe Mediterranean Initiative, aligning with broader frameworks such as the Union for the Mediterranean Roadmaps and the 5+5 Dialogue for Research, Innovation and Higher Education workplan.
On the second day, participants from various countries had an enriching experience exploring successful project writing tips by PRIMA Project Officer Marco Orlando.
Following, project coordinators and partners from different PRIMA Participating States shared valuable insights and firsthand experiences. Speakers included Professor Santa Olga Cacciola from the University of Catania (Italy), Professor Aziz Faissal from the Cadi Ayyad University (Morocco), Dirk De Ketelaere and Anna Spiteri, Founders of the Integrated Resources Management Company Ltd (Malta), and Professor Karim Ben Hamed from the Centre de Biotechnologie de Borj Cédria (Tunisia).
The event concluded with an interactive writing workshop, offering attendees the chance to craft concept notes for potential projects aligned with the PRIMA Calls 2024. Finally, an engaging session on project idea pitches fostered networking opportunities and fruitful partner searches.
For more information, please contact MCST on prima.mcst@gov.mt or +356 2360 2175.
The PRIMA COLLABORATE – AN EVENT UNITING MED RESEARCHERS IN MALTA FOR INNOVATION is part of the PRIMA Programme supported by the European Union.
PRIMA PROPOSAL WRITING WORKSHOP
The Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST) organised a day-long PRIMA Proposal Writing Workshop on the 10th of January 2022 from 9.30am – 5.00pm (CET).
The workshop aimed to build capacity amongst PRIMA stakeholders on how to write successful proposals for R&I funding, as well as provide an avenue for networking, resulting in increased proposal submissions in areas of common interest – aims that align well also with the ambitions of the 5+5 Dialogue Member Countries. It was delivered by the PRIMA Project Officer Mr. Marco Orlando, who gave an in-depth overview of the PRIMA programme, how it operates, and the Calls foreseen for 2022. Furthermore, participants were informed on how to write PRIMA Stage 1 and Stage 2 proposals and on how to find international partners to join or build strong project consortia.
The workshop was held in a hybrid format due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic situation. While only a small group could be allowed to participate in the in-person event to ensure the safety of those who attended, the online registrants counted 395, and hailed from a wide array of countries including Greece, Jordan, Egypt, Germany, Italy, Mauritania, India, France, Algeria, Portugal, Tunisia, Spain, Morocco and Turkey. The wide geographical coverage of this workshop was facilitated by the esteemed support from the 5+5 Dialogue (Research, Innovation and Higher Education) and PRIMA Secretariat.
In-person attendees were invited to apply the knowledge acquired during the workshop to frame a project idea and pitch their project proposal to their peers. On the other hand, online attendees were invited to network virtually on the Wonder.me platform. The workshop came to an end with a final session that informed the workshop participants about the different PRIMA-related Calls/Schemes that MCST will be participating/launching this year, as well as a brief overview of the National Rules that apply to Malta-based entities.
For more information, please contact MCST on prima.mcst@gov.mt or +356 2360 2175.
The PRIMA Proposal Writing Workshops are part of the PRIMA Programme supported by the European Union.
This article was last updated on: April 22, 2024