#Techdays Match Up: EU & South MED Cluster Matchmaking Event

The EU – South MED Cluster Matchmaking Event will take place virtually on 12-13 October 2021, in the context of the #Techdays Match Up event by THE NEXT SOCIETY. The event will be organised by the European Commission, the European Cluster Collaboration Platform (ECCP), and Ceipiemonte – the Piemonte Agency for Investments, Export and Tourism.

The event will gather cluster organisations, SMEs and policy makers from the EU (and non-EU COSME) countries and South MED countries. It will be a unique opportunity for participants to explore common areas of interest for cooperation and to strengthen economic ties, connecting actors wishing to pursue trade, investment and partnering opportunities.

The event will build on the accomplishments of the first EU – South MED Cluster Matchmaking Event organised in April 2019 in Casablanca, Morocco, as well as on the successes of THE NEXT SOCIETY’s earlier actions on clusters.

A Call for Expression of Interest, targeting cluster organisations and their SME members from the EU (and non-EU COSME) countries who wish to participate, will be launched on the ECCP website in the coming weeks.

Event activities:

• Preparatory webinar – an opportunity to receive guidance on how to participate successfully in the planned event.
• Online Seminar on business and cluster cooperation opportunities between the EU (and non-EU COSME) countries and South MED countries.
• Virtual inter-cluster and inter-company matchmaking sessions between clusters and companies from Europe and from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, and Tunisia.
• Online site visits

Dates and format:

The matchmaking event will take place on 12^th and 13^th of October as the last of a series of 3 #TechDays designed by THE NEXT SOCIETY: Meet Up, Catch Up and Match Up!. The goal of this series of events is to bring about collaborations between MENA and EU innovators but also within the MENA ecosystem, with clusters playing a key role in the value chain. During the Meet Up event in June, participants – including clusters, SMEs, start-ups, researchers and industry experts – from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia and Europe were invited to discuss common visions, initiate discussions and co-creative processes by bringing out ideas of pilot projects. These pilot projects were followed up during the Catch-Up event 2 months later. The purpose of this October Match Up event will be to encourage collaborations that are expected to ultimately result in Letters of Interest, Memorandum of Understanding, and other types of partnership agreements.

To register & and to know everything about this upcoming event, click here