INNOVATION – Morocco welcomes the intercluster meetings of THE NEXT SOCIETY

Casablanca, 10 April 2019 – THE NEXT SOCIETY and the European Commission through the European Cluster Collaboration Platform (ECCP), with the support of StartUp Morocco and ANIMA Investment Network, organised the 1st edition of #TechDays, an event for cluster managers from Europe and the Middle East and North Africa region, which took place in Casablanca, Morocco, from 9 to 11 April 2019, in the margins of the Logismed exhibition.  

Bringing together clusters from the MENA region and the European Union for the 8th edition of Logismed, the International Transport and Logistics Exhibition for Africa and the Mediterranean, the 1st edition of #TechDays THE NEXT SOCIETY aims to promote cooperation and networking between cluster managers from both sides of the Mediterranean in order to explore potential synergies that can lead to business partnerships between the various organizations. 

The event, offered to clusters in the MENA region as part of the Cluster Booster Track, the tailor-made support programme for cluster managers supported by THE NEXT SOCIETY, will pay particular attention to certain strategic sectors in the economy of the Euro-Mediterranean region: transport and logistics; agriculture and agri-food industry, energy and the environment; information and communication technologies (ICT), mecatronics and the textile industry. 

Representatives of the European Commission, the European Union Delegation to Morocco and the Ministry of Industry, Investment, Trade and the Digital Economy will address the opening ceremony, which will be followed by a pitching session where both delegations will present their clusters. For 3 days, cluster managers will benefit from a strong support: training targeted on Industry 4.0, South-South cooperation and C2C collaboration between Europe and the southern shore of the Mediterranean; bilateral meetings to identify business opportunities for clusters and their members; moments of relaxation and networking; visits to local organizations of high interest (MAScIR Foundation, ESITH – École supérieure des industries du textile et de l’habillement, CTI – Centres Techniques Industriels marocains) and other activities that will accelerate exchanges with their peers with the objective of forging links and building business relationships! 

The Cluster Booster Track THE NEXT SOCIETY: a tailor-made acceleration programme for Mediterranean clusters and their managers 

The Cluster Booster Track proposes a complete action plan for Mediterranean clusters. This is a peer-to-peer coaching and training programme that assists cluster managers from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia to improve their management skills, increase their business opportunities and open new channels for collaboration at national and international level.

The Cluster Booster Track offers many services:

• a needs assessment phase (completed);
• Benchmarking Visits and Training (watch the video of the first edition in Barcelona);
• a mentoring program for cluster managers;
• #TechDays; International Market Missions.

All activities aim to strengthen strategic cooperation between European and South Mediterranean clusters, thus contributing to the creation of a strong cluster community in the Mediterranean region. 

22 THE NEXT SOCIETY clusters participate in #TechDays Morocco

Borg Al Arab Innovation Cluster (Egypt), Cyprus-Egypt-Greece Collaborative Innovation Network – COIN (Egypt), Egyptian Renewable Energy Cluster (Egypt), Oasis500 (Jordan), Beirut Creative Cluster (Lebanon), QOOT Agri-Food Innovation Cluster (Lebanon), AGRINOVA (Morocco), Le Cluster des Textiles Techniques Marocains – C2TM (Morocco), Cluster Electronique, Mécatronique et Mécanique du Maroc – CE3M (Morocco), Cluster MENARA (Morocco), Cluster Solaire (Morocco), CISE Maroc (Morocco), Maroc Numeric Cluster (Morocco), Hebron Leather and Shoe Cluster (Palestine), Salfit House of Furniture (Palestine), Palestinian Stone Cluster (Palestine), Date and Palm Cluster (Palestine), Rawabi Tech Hub (Palestine), Pôle de compétitivité de Bizerte (Tunisia), Cluster Huile d’olive Nord-Ouest (Tunisie), Cluster Mechatronic Tunisie (Tunisie), Cluster dates & palm Tunisia (Tunisie).

Download here a selection of photos of the event

Download the press release PDF (only in French)