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Smart Green Ecosystems is a new project co-designed by URENIO Research and approved by Interreg NEXT MED in the framework of Smarter Mediterranean. It aims to establish an ecosystem of 100 SMEs from four Mediterranean countries (Greece, Cyprus, Tunisia, and Jordan) to foster collaboration and support digital and green transitions. The project aligns with three EU policies: the new industrial strategy for ecosystem development, the digital, and the green transition strategies.
SmartGreenEcos implements a collaborative innovation model structured around three stages: (1) prioritisation; (2) ecosystem perspective centred on digital platforms; and (3) transformative innovation leading to smart-green transitions, as depicted in the diagram below.
Over 36 months (2025–2028), SmartGreenEcos will implement four interconnected activities:
– Establishing the SME ecosystem to enable collaboration and shared growth.
– Developing collaborative digital platforms to strengthen MED supply chains, enhance cross-border partnerships, and facilitate data and knowledge sharing for digital and green transformation.
– Facilitating SMEs in using these platforms to improve their competitiveness and sustainability.
– Ensuring the ecosystem’s long-term sustainability and scaling up to include all MED countries.
The digital platforms to be developed within the project focus on:
1. AI-based optimisation, benchmarking financial, digital, and green performance to guide improvement action plans.
2. Learning and capacity building for AI smart green business practices.
3. Digital procurement to facilitate inter-company agreements and MED supply chains.
4. Collaborative new product development to drive sector-based open innovation.
Through these platforms, participating SMEs will develop targeted improvement action plans, establish procurement agreements, enhance their capabilities in smart green practices, and co-design new products.
Beyond the project’s duration, SmartGreenEcos will establish an Association of SMEs to promote the MED food industry and develop further platform-based services for AI-driven benchmarking, capacity building, digital procurement, and new product development. Ultimately, SmartGreenEcos will serve as a model for ecosystem development and smart green transition in the MED food industry, paving the way for future replication in other industry sectors.
Partners
RTD Talos Ltd
URENIO Research, Aristotle University
University of Carthage
Investment World for Development and Technology
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SmartGreenEcos is a project funded by the Interreg NEXT MED
