Brussels became the epicenter of Euro-Mediterranean research and innovation this week, hosting a gathering of stakeholders from both shores of the Mediterranean. The PRIMA community came together in full force, bringing together project coordinators, research teams, Board of Trustees members, European Commission representatives, FUTURE4PRIMA consortia, advisory board members, and key partners including the Union for the Mediterranean. This intensive week created a dynamic environment where ideas flourished and future visions took shape.

The week kicked off with PRIMA’s participation in the European Commission’s “Research and Innovation for a Competitive Green Transition” event. Among the 12 EU projects selected to showcase their achievements, two PRIMA projects stood out: NEWFEED Project demonstrated its circular economy approach, transforming agri-food by-products like grape stems, orange peels, and olive cake into sustainable animal feed through a pilot-scale prototype that proves both economic and environmental viability. INTEL IRRIS presented its low-cost, IoT-based irrigation solutions designed for smallholder farmers, featuring smart algorithms that optimize water usage while maintaining crop yields—addressing a critical challenge in Mediterranean agriculture. The day also featured the culmination of the PRIMA2BUSINESS initiative, where twelve PRIMA-funded projects competed for market support. SmaCuMed and TECHONEY emerged as winners, each securing €10,000 Go-to-Market support vouchers. The projects received comprehensive training and support from META Group as part of the FUTURE4PRIMA project, led by DLR Projektträger and the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT).

This intensive week in Brussels exemplified the collaborative spirit driving Euro-Mediterranean research and innovation. The seamless integration of operational progress with strategic foresight, combined with the active participation of diverse stakeholders, reinforced PRIMA’s role as a catalyst for regional transformation. The momentum generated during these five days sets a strong foundation for the next phase of Euro-Mediterranean R&I cooperation.