INNOVATION – THE NEXT SOCIETY paving the way for Mediterranean innovation

Published on 07 June 2021

Four the past four years, THE NEXT SOCIETY has been helping to boost innovation capacity in seven Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries and to enhance their attractiveness.

Launched by the ANIMA Investment Network, and 90% co-financed by the European Union, the programme has been designed to improve regulatory frameworks and develop national schemes aimed at promoting innovation. THE NEXT SOCIETY is also aiming to enhance business competitiveness and the efficiency of technology hubs, with an anticipated impact at both national and regional levels.

At the national level, concrete results have already been seen. For example, the Egyptian Ministry of Communication and Information Technology has put in place a sales and financing model for a new accelerator that provides the nation’s entrepreneurs with personalised internationalisation services. Jordan has set up an innovation financing programme (Scientific Research Support Fund). Morocco is working on research tax breaks. Tunisia has received help from TNS to carry out market research prior to setting up a national action plan as part of the new law on crowdfunding.

Innovation in the Mediterranean in 78 indicators


At the regional level, THE NEXT SOCIETY enabled the enlargement of the EuroMed community of innovation ecosystems in 2020 by initiating an increasing number of exchanges and showcasing the successful beneficiaries in order to enhance their visibility. One of the main actions implemented thanks to TNS is a series of regional webinars on innovation policies designed to present best practices and policies or tools that are replicable. Another is the launch of a new mentoring scheme for clusters and the creation of the Regional Innovation Factory – From Research to Market, which provides support to 20 projects (selected from 332 applicants) in six Mediterranean countries.

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