[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/6543\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EEU, North Africa green energy tie-up draws closer - Claude Ayache\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhy has InnoEnergy focused on a partnership with North Africa in the MAGHRENOV project? \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018There have been two decades of effort to develop a European-Mediterranean innovation space in which people can collaborate and bring advances in research to market. But there are still many problems. MAGHRENOV is really a test bed, a way of experimenting with north-south innovation in order to prepare the way for an internal, Euro-Med market in renewable energy and energy efficiency.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhy do we need a market like this that connects countries across the Mediterranean?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Collaboration with different neighbouring regions is a big EU priority, so it\u2019s an important political goal. It\u2019s in our interests to have thriving economies on our borders. With wealth development comes increased markets, economic prosperity and improved cross-border relationships.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Also, when it comes to climate change and clean energy, we are now sharing the same vision. Countries like Morocco and Tunisia are in some ways just facing more extreme versions of problems that are also hitting southern Europe. Take desertification for example. This is already affecting Spain and Greece. If we address these problems as a region, it means there are more intellectual, entrepreneurial and funding resources available for us all. For example, we have a common need to develop photovoltaics in agriculture, to enhance aspects of farming such as giving plants more shade while minimising the use of water. We are all working towards the strategic nexus theme in the region (the idea that water, energy and agriculture are inextricably linked), and this is a good example of that approach.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018There is plenty of money available for innovation in clean energy \u2013 USD 100 billion per year (by 2020) some of which will pass through the (UN\u2019s) \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.greenclimate.fund\/home\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EGreen Climate Fund\u003C\/a\u003E, a big part of which will go to Africa. But the question is how to coordinate it? It could end up diluted, or not strategically invested. MAGHRENOV addresses some of these issues.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow does the coordination between regions work in practice?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018This is not about northern ideas being implemented in the south. If you just transfer the plans of a device from Europe to Morocco it could cost more to build in Morocco than in Europe. There can be real problems making the transfer. This is about ideas, from north or south, being adapted so they will match well in the southern context.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan style=\u0022font-size: 13.008px;\u0022\u003E\u2018This adaptation is a strong driver for innovation \u2013 after all, innovation means solving problems. It\u2019s co-development.\u2019\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat do you mean exactly by co-development?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018There are many educated people in the south. For some time they were just thinking of copying the northern technologies. And now they are more minded to develop original technologies. It\u2019s happened by natural maturation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018In our (MAGHRENOV) project, we worked with Morocco and Tunisia. Both countries have a very strong will in renewable energy, at a high political level, and have invested a lot in solar energy. Morocco specifically is about to become a leader in renewable energy in general.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018It has also made a big effort for two decades now in technical education. And it has restructured its research and innovation system so it is more like the European model, which means it\u2019s much easier for us to interact because we have counterparts. Despite the political fluctuations of the recent past, Tunisia is also a good candidate for co-development. It has a traditional concern for higher education, including engineering (and) innovative SMEs.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow can InnoEnergy projects help out here, what impacts have you seen?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018MAGHRENOV has done a lot to network different high-level universities under the lead of the Universitat Polit\u00e8cnica de Catalunya in Spain. These groups have devised a master\u2019s programme in innovation, although there is a delay to its implementation because it has not yet received funding.\u003Cspan style=\u0022font-size: 13.008px;\u0022\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u2018When it comes to climate change and clean energy, we are now sharing the same vision.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EClaude Ayache, Senior Advisor for European Affairs, InnoEnergy \u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We \u2013 InnoEnergy and Morocco\u2019s Institute for Research in Solar Energy and New Energies (IRESEN) \u2013 have also held calls for innovation proposals from Euro-Moroccan consortia. As a result we have two successful bids that are going ahead. The Sirocco Project is adapting a Fresnel system (a form of concentrating solar thermal power) to drying in the food industry, replacing fossil fuels currently used for this. Drying is important in other industries too, such as brick-making, so the technology has a lot of potential.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The other project \u2013 the DrinkingBox project \u2013 combines three different ways of using the sun to purify water \u2013 solar pasteurisation, photolysis and photocatalysis \u2013 to improve disinfection.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is left to be done?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018One problem is intellectual property rights (IPR). The culture of IPR in clean-tech is just developing in southern countries and it is very important for start-ups to secure IPR definitively. It\u2019s a big issue.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018There are also skills gaps and differences in approaches. There are more and more skills in southern countries and we are approaching a state where we can cooperate on new ideas based on highly advanced technology. But there are still differences there.\u0026nbsp; We can\u2019t be too na\u00efve, it will develop at its own pace.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIf MAGHRENOV has been an experiment in making a Euro-Med innovation area, what is your verdict? \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018This experimenting phase was necessary. We are very happy to have done it with some shortcomings linked to a limited budget, but also some success. Now there is better confidence from both sides about the possibilities. We have experimented with how to support trans-Mediterranean innovation projects and we\u2019ve developed a logic about how to scale that support to actual needs and the expected commercial impact. We are ready to work at a significantly larger scale. Now we need to put in place a public-private Euro-Med organic structure that will really drive regional progress in renewable energy and energy efficiency.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Now people involved in clean-tech innovation in Europe recognise that organisations and skills in Morocco and Tunisia are of a high standard and we can really work together on equal footing. And, even if sometimes they lack expertise in innovation methodology, there are entrepreneurs coming from southern countries who are really interesting people with a strong will to develop great new ideas in clean tech \u2013 or use them in their business.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EIf you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022moreinfoblock\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ch3\u003EEU, Mediterranean partnership\u003C\/h3\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EThe EU\u0027s partnership with Mediterranean countries such as Morocco and Tunisia came into force in 1995, and was given added impetus at the 2008 Paris Summit with the launch of the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ufmsecretariat.org\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EUnion for the Mediterranean\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResearch plays a central role in the six main areas covered by this cooperation \u2013 pollution, security, civil protection, alternative energies, higher education, and small- and medium-sized enterprises.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn May 2011, the EU published a \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/eur-lex.europa.eu\/LexUriServ\/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2011:0303:FIN:en:PDF\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ejoint communication\u003C\/a\u003E which added to the scope of the partnership, proposing steps towards a common knowledge and innovation area around the Mediterranean, pulling together policy dialogue, national and regional capacity-building, cooperation in research and innovation, and increased mobility of researchers.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-3hpuayneydisvbpyksaofhikhjauixb-l4a-lybebjc\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-3hPuaYnEyDiSVbPyksaofHiKhJAuIXb_l4a-LybEbJc\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]