PRIMA (Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area) is the most ambitious joint programme developed in the frame of the Euro-Mediterranean cooperation aimed to:

“build research and innovation capacities and to develop knowledge and common innovative solutions for agro-food systems, to make them sustainable, and for integrated water provision and management in the Mediterranean area, to make those systems and that provision and management more climate resilient, efficient, cost-effective and environmentally and socially sustainable, and to contribute to solving water scarcity, food security, nutrition, health, well-being and migration problems upstream”.

 

Focusing on several sustainability issues, PRIMA is also contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and therefore, to the implementation of United Nations Agenda 2030.

PRIMA consists of European Union Member States, Horizon 2020 Associated Countries and Mediterranean Partner Countries on an equal footing basis (co-ownership, co-management and co-funding) with the Participation of the European Commission, under the framework of an art.185 TFEU.

To date, 19 countries are committed to the initiative:

Algeria, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Malta, Morocco, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Tunisia and Turkey have formally become PRIMA Participating States.

The partnership will be financed through a combination of funding from PRIMA Participating States (currently €274 million), and a €220 million contribution from the EU through Horizon 2020, its research and innovation funding programme (2014 – 2020).

Thematic focus

Integrated and sustainable management of water for arid and semi-arid Mediterranean areas

Sustainable farming systems under Mediterranean environmental constraints

Sustainable Mediterranean agro-food value chain for regional and local development