ANIMA – Euro-Mediterranean industry players meet in Aix-Marseille-Provence to discuss energy transition and new digital technologies

The Aix-Marseille-Provence metropolis is hosting a three-day delegation of twenty industrialists and competitiveness clusters from Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. The program includes meetings with the metropolitan area’s research and industrial communities in the fields of new energies and decarbonization, microelectronics, aeronautics and digital technologies applied to industry. At a time when reindustrialization is a national priority in France, the aim is to develop mutually beneficial alliances between the two shores of the Mediterranean, to enhance the competitiveness of these countries’ industries.

Aix-Marseille-Provence, European Capital of Innovation iCapital

This is the last operation of the year to receive the iCapital European Innovation Capital award, presented to the Aix-Marseille-Provence metropolitan area by the European Innovation Council. But not the least important, since it concerns the crucial issues of industrial cooperation around the Mediterranean basin, one of the keys to enabling this region to become more competitive in this sector in the face of Asian competition, and to achieve its ambitions for the redevelopment of the industrial sector.

In the southern Mediterranean, manufacturers are attracted by European technologies and are keen to find partners on the northern shore. They are forming clusters to take part in applied research programs, and to continue upgrading their production. In the north, mature industrial service platforms and competitiveness clusters are interested in the new opportunities and growth offered by the African continent, its talent pool and its competitiveness. For all concerned, a new industrial revolution is underway: decarbonization, spurred on by the new carbon tax at Europe’s borders, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things, which are becoming key issues for manufacturers.

These are the issues that form the backbone of this mission organized by the ANIMA network and the Aix-Marseille-Provence metropolis as part of the European Union co-funded Euromed Clusters Forward project. The aim of this project is to bring together clusters and competitiveness clusters on both sides of the Mediterranean, and the companies they represent, to revitalize local value chains across the Mediterranean basin.

3 days of intensive sightseeing in the heart of the region

Two Egyptian clusters and two manufacturers in the renewable energies sector, five Moroccan clusters, four manufacturers and two research centers in the electronics and mechatronics, industrial maintenance, aeronautics and green hydrogen sectors, and one Tunisian cluster and four manufacturers in the mechatronics sector make up the delegation that will be visiting its metropolitan counterparts from December 12 to 14.

ANIMA and the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis will take them to meet all the players in these sectors on the territory: the Ecole des Mines de Saint Etienne (Gardanne Campus) and its researchers who cross electronics and digital, the Capénergies, SAFE (aeronautics, defense, security, environment), SCS (electronics, digital, IoT, artificial intelligence) clusters, and the Team Henri Fabre industrial innovation platform.

This tour on the theme of “Industrial cooperation, new technologies and environmental transition” will alternate information sessions on new trends in industry, visits to sites and research laboratories, and business meetings with Aix-Marseille-Provence clusters and companies. The regional economic development agencies RisingSUD and Provence Promotion, as well as the Région Sud, are also mobilized to promote the region’s attractiveness to the industrial delegation.

About ANIMA Investment Network

ANIMA is an association working for economic development in Europe, the Middle East and Africa aligned with the challenges of social and environmental responsibility. The network strives to engage countries in cooperation aimed at transforming their economies, improving the performance of business support policies and institutions, and promoting enterprises that create value for society. The ANIMA network brings together 70 member organizations in 20 countries and over 400 experts and partners.

About Euromed Clusters Forward

Euromed Clusters Forward is the largest regional project for the countries of the southern Mediterranean neighborhood, co-financed by the European Union to the tune of 90% for an overall budget of 7.8 million euros. It is managed by the ANIMA network and four consortium partners until 2026. Its aim is to strengthen clusters and their member companies in 7 southern Mediterranean countries, and to promote innovation and competitiveness in the Euromed region in order to improve growth, economic diversification, sustainable development, employment and local value chains throughout the Mediterranean basin.

About Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis

Created on January 1, 2016, Aix-Marseille-Provence has a population of over 1.8 million and comprises 92 communes. The Metropole exercises the major strategic competencies that guide the development of the territory in all its dimensions. These responsibilities all converge towards the same objective: to enhance the attractiveness of a region with many assets. A daring metropolis, whose ambition is to rank among the Top 20 largest metropolises in the world.Participating in the great momentum surrounding the iCapital prize, the Metropole has particularly stepped up its support for the innovation ecosystem, and has multiplied its initiatives this year. This Cluster Tour is part of the “Provence Africa Connect” roadmap, part of the Metropole’s economic development agenda.