Amman, Sept. 10 (Petra) -- Jordan, represented by the Higher Council for Science and Technology, has participated in the strategic dialogue held in Casablanca under the FUTURE4PRIMA project, organized by the PRIMA Foundation and hosted by Morocco’s Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.
The event convened Euro-Mediterranean representatives to chart the direction of PRIMA 2, the next phase of the initiative.
Jordan led the project’s third work package, focused on aligning research and innovation policies across the Mediterranean. Opening the dialogue, Raed Odeh, Assistant Secretary-General of the Council and Acting President of the National Innovation Center, emphasized the urgent need to tackle water scarcity, food insecurity, climate change, and innovation gaps that threaten the region.
Odeh presented a roadmap for PRIMA’s future centered on building a shared Mediterranean vision that addresses critical issues such as water, food, energy, climate, and biodiversity. He stressed the importance of simplifying governance mechanisms, easing administrative burdens, and ensuring strong political commitment from member states.
The roadmap also emphasized advancing practical innovation through regional technology transfer centers with greater involvement of small and medium-sized enterprises, while strengthening national capacities by investing in training, mobility, and infrastructure alignment, and by embedding sustainability, ethics, and gender equality into research and innovation programs.
He emphasized that overcoming fragmentation and inequality is crucial for PRIMA’s long-term success, urging greater trust-building and collaboration to ensure that research and innovation benefit society as a whole.
Established in 2017, PRIMA (Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area) is a Euro-Mediterranean initiative co-funded by the European Union and participating countries on both shores of the Mediterranean. Its mandate is to advance scientific research and innovation in water management, food security, agricultural systems, and climate change, supporting the wider goals of sustainable development.
Currently comprising more than 20 member countries, PRIMA serves as a strategic platform linking universities, research centers, and the private sector. It also acts as a bridge for dialogue between North and South, ensuring that scientific research is directly connected to the needs of society and regional development.
//Petra// RZ
