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Projects
European cities are facing multiple challenges when it comes to managing the impacts and urban transformation processes deriving from tourism. These include increased sanitary precautions, strain on limited urban resources like water, energy and space, waste management, gentrification, and the cohabitation between residents and visitors as well as precarious hospitality working conditions.
In the light of this development, TOURBAN project concentrates its efforts to tackle the adaptation of European tourism companies towards more sustainable, low-carbon, circular and resource-efficient business models. As essential players in this transition, SMEs need to be provided with the necessary skills, capacity and financial resources, if they are to become innovation and sustainability catalysts. Furthermore, the project supports SMEs in uptaking international best practices and developing innovative solutions that render them both more sustainable and competitive through new and increased revenue streams, reduced costs and decreased resource consumption as well as a better visibility and positioning. Ultimately, TOURBAN aims to foster cross-sector collaboration to close the loop in circular economy processes and spearhead a transnational movement towards tourism sustainability in urban areas across Europe.
As cities continue to grow, so is the number of challenges they are facing. Environmental, economic or social emerging issues call for new and unproven urban solutions. The increasing need for urban innovation will result in the development of a significant number of smart cities initiatives, creating new business opportunities for Mediterranean SMEs. If we want our cities to be efficiently managed and more livable for communities, public authorities and SMEs have to work together to come up with the best technological solutions. SME4SMARTCITIES will make this collaboration possible by reinforcing the capacities of Mediterranean cities and SMEs. On the one the hand, the project will help cities to be the front-runners of innovation, in particular through the use of Public Procurement of Innovative solutions. On the other hand, the project will support Mediterranean SMEs in order to guarantee that their products and services meet the expectations and needs of smart cities.
The Mediterranean region is one of the world’s leading tourist destinations. Facing growing competition and deterioration of the political and security situation, the destination has demonstrated symptoms of a slowdown, which makes the recovery of the sector an economic priority. This downturn may also present an opportunity to transform the tourism model into a sustainable and competitive one, addressing current sectorial challenges as the predominance of mass seaside tourism, dependent on the European market and territorial imbalances. MEDUSA will tackle these joint challenges via targeted and inter-related capacity building and cross-border interventions to develop and promote adventure tourism in the region, a niche which grew by 195% between 2010 and 2014. By designing and testing routes and itineraries that offer improved adventure tourism products, MEDUSA will contribute to job creation and income for local communities in the medium and long term. Moreover, the project has the potential to reveal lesser-known destinations and attract tourists throughout the year.
Most models of tourism in the Mediterranean area are based on mass tourism and follow a fragmented vision of the region as a sum of different markets. Med Pearls aims at internationally positioning the Mediterranean as a unique and integral destination to experience the Med lifestyle through SlowTourism (ST), inviting travellers to discover sustainably and responsibly new destinations while taking time to have direct contact with local communities. The project will deliver a set of 26 new ST products created by local Destination Management Companies (DMCs) and ICT enterprises thanks to financial and technical support called Product Development and Innovation Facilities. The idea is to create similar experiences based on the typology of products and themes agreed among partners, therefore, visitors will live similar experiences, of the same quality, in any of the 13 areas targeted by Med Pearls. The project will address both local and international markets, like the USA, Canada, Northern Europe, Russia or Asia, organising a comprehensive commercialisation and marketing strategy.
The SPEY project combines sports practice and transversal skills with the aim to minimize the factors that intervene in the process of youth radicalisation.
Furthermore, it seeks to improve integration channels for youngsters at-risk of exclusion and keeps gender-based perspective crosswise throughout the project. Led by recognized academics, SPEY will produce several tools to measure the effectiveness of programs aimed at preventing extremism thought sport.
The overall objective of MPA-ENGAGE is to promote the role of MPAs as nature-based solutions for the implementation ofEcAp to CC adaptation: The QUINTUPLE HELIX (MPAs, socio-eco actors, local/regional authorities, scientists and citizens)from 8 countries will cooperate towards adapting the management of 7 Med MPAs to CC impacts. The engagement, for thefirst time, of citizen scientists (recreational divers) and small-scale fishery actors will be essential.
The general project objective is to improve the ecologic quality of mountain rivers through the reduction of plastic pollution and the raise of public awareness towards the impact of its consumption habits, via a cross-border joint strategy.
In order to achieve this objective the project proposes the following solutions:
- - New tools to study the origin and effects of plastics in mountain ecosystems
- - Dissemination and awareness raising actions about plastic polution and its impact
- - Participation of the public: raise awareness towards consumption habits and better waste management
- - Study of the impact of plastics on the environment and co-creation of solutions based on the circular economy principles
As further step of the previous “Cosmetics4Wellbeing” (COSME-Cluster Go International strand 1), Global Cosmetics Cluster -Europe (GCC.eu) is a 24 months project that intends to confirm a leading role in the representation of the cosmetics sector at the European stage.
The general objective of Global Cosmetics Cluster Europe is to implement and test a Joint Internationalization Strategy (JIS) for the European Strategic Cluster Partnership–Going International (ESCP-4i), maximizing the potential of its cross-sectoral nature, developing new value chains and exploiting international opportunities for European SMEs, specially in 5 promising countries : Mexico, South Korea, USA, India, United Arab Emirates.
To fulfill this objective, a set of Specific Objectives has been agreed among Project Partners :
•To encourage business, international and R&D cooperation across sectorial boundaries
•To focus on supporting SMEs in international accessing markets, in particular through an Acceleration Programme tackling these 5 targeted countries
•To foster cooperation among cluster organisations and its members in the ESCP-4i
•To support the establishment of value chains (in particular in health, digital, agroindustry, circular economy) along with the cosmetics cross-sectorial industry
•To develop a governance system and a common branding for the ESCP-4i to ensure active and sustainable collaboration among the different stakeholders;
•To promote and increase the visibility of GCC.eu as a cluster representing the whole value chain on cosmetics: Aiming at beneficiating, directly and indirectly more than 1.500 SMEs, the GCC.eu is made of 6 Cosmetics and wellbeing Clusters from 5 EU countries and Turkey.
The main goal of this project is to gather in an innovative and permanent dialogue and decision-making process national and regional public authorities and stakeholders.
In this way it trys to contribute to informed policy and decision-making processes at national and transnational level on common challenges and opportunities in the Mediterranean Region.
Specifically, the initiative will support the definition of transnational governance joint frameworks for the identification and implementation of shared approaches, policies and strategic projects.