On February 8^th, new calls for proposal under PRIMA (Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area) have been published. PRIMA is the most ambitious joint programme to be undertaken in the frame of Euro–Mediterranean cooperation.

The Programme aims at building research and innovation capacities and at developing knowledge and common innovative solutions for the agro–food systems, making them sustainable, and integrating water provision and management in the Mediterranean area. It also aims at making those systems and that provision and management more climate–resilient, efficient, cost–effective and environmentally and socially sustainable, while contributing to solve water scarcity, food security, nutrition, health, well–being and migration problems.

PRIMA programme will support research and innovation through distinct types of actions:

1. In Section 1: Research & Innovation Actions (RIA), and Innovation actions (IA) as defined in the General Annexes of H2020;
2. In Section 2: Research and Innovation Activities (RIA) based on national rules;
3. In Section 3: National research programmes (PSIAs).

In particular, PRIMA Section 2 call will fund collaborative research projects that should have an impact and that contribute to the demand of policy driven research. Section 2 will focus on a unique call for Research and innovation Action (RIA), addressing the nine topics reported below (according to national priorities).

The proposal can also address issues that are cross cutting between two topics as long as they are both eligible for funding by the partner countries. As the projects selected in Section 2 are funded directly by the national funding bodies, they will be subject to the respective national regulations.

Topics:

1. Management of Water

• Water resource availability and quality within catchments and aquifers;
• Sustainable, integrated water management;
• Irrigation technologies and practice.

2. Farming system

• Adaptation of agriculture to climate change;
• Prevention of the emergence of animal and plant pests and diseases;
• Valorisation of Farming Systems able to create employment and territorial development.

3. Agro/food value chain

• Valorisation of food products from traditional Mediterranean diet;
• Valorisation of food safety and quality in local food chains;
• Health effects of the dietary shifts and promotion of healthy and sustainable diets for the Med populations.

Consortium

19 countries are committed to the initiative:

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

Egypt, Lebanon and Morocco will fully become PRIMA Participating States after the signature and the ratification of the international agreements with the EU.

In order to be eligible, a consortium must be composed by at least three entities, of at least one from: Croatia, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, and one entity from Algeria, Israel, Jordan, Tunisia, Turkey.

Legal entities established to be Participating States (Morocco, Egypt and Lebanon) will not count towards the minimum number of participants in the consortium if the international agreement with the country where the agreements are established does not produce legal effects by the day of the submission deadline.

Applicants must be eligible for funding according to their national funding body rules (national regulations). The national regulations mention the eligible structures or entities that are allowed to apply (for example, some funding bodies can fund private entities and other cannot). Each funding body establishes its own national regulations that provide the applicants with the topics that are funded under the call and a list of criteria to check for their eligibility. National regulations also provide a comprehensive list of eligible costs (for example some funding bodies can support mobility or sub–contracting and other cannot).

Applications, including all required forms and annexes, must be received by the PRIMA–IS (Implementation Structure) by the following deadlines:

• March 27^th, 2018 (17:00 CET) for pre–proposal stage;
• September 4^th, 2018 (17:00 CET) for full proposals.

More info available at: http://prima-med.org/