ANALYSE – Regional cooperation at stake for innovation strategies in MENA countries

In the framework of THE NEXT SOCIETY, ANIMA conducted an impact assessment with start-ups and clusters from the MENA region that participated in the project, in order to draw lessons on how to support innovation among these stakeholders.

The study is structured in three parts, which stem directly from the findings of this impact assessment. To read the first part, please consult this article.

The second part details the conditions for renewed regional cooperation, underpinned by national strategies that need to integrate transitions towards more virtuous production models to address their challenges and avoid isolation, as well as the place of clusters as a gateway to regional dynamics.

While MENA countries must develop strong ecosystems offering the necessary infrastructures for the development of innovation, the regional scale is essential to meet the climatic, health, economic and
political challenges common to the region. Beyond indispensable regional cooperation, the model for which has yet to be invented, the partnership with the EU must also be rethought.

Find the complete study in the download link.

This article  was conducted among THE NEXT SOCIETY beneficiaries and gathered responses from 81 start-ups and 18 clusters from 7 countries (Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia). The interviewees, entrepreneurs and cluster managers, are beneficiaries of THE NEXT SOCIETY acceleration programmes for start-ups and clusters.  THE NEXT SOCIETY project was co-funded by the European Commission and led by the ANIMA network and some twenty partners, which aims to support innovation ecosystems in the MENA region.