The ANIMA network of European business promotion agencies, and InvestCyprus, are hosting the ‘Innovations for the Planet’ forum in Nicosia and launching Euromed iHouse, an innovation hub to support the ecological transition of stakeholders.
The forum takes place from Monday to Wednesday and will focus on the services to be developed to help companies innovate regarding climate challenges and sustainable development objectives.
The event, supported by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, brings together nearly 150 leaders, experts, and managers from 22 countries, including the Middle East and Africa, who will engage in workshops, training, networking and B2B meetings.
According to the organisers, the forum’s objectives are to understand the challenges of the planet and their impact on companies, networking, and collaborate with peers and Euromed partners on common roadmaps to support businesses and contribute to future policies.
Forum participants also plan to collaborate in the programming of the Euromed iHouse by participating in the Euromed innovation hub for climate and designing solutions and services.
“The climate change prospects provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports are a wake-up call for Mediterranean countries.
“This situation has direct consequences on the population, and companies, which must implement resilience strategies in their business models and organisations,” the organisers said.
“The Mediterranean region, and Cyprus in particular, will be one of the most critical areas in the world to deal with the consequences of the climate crisis: violent climatic events, increased warming, floods, shortage of certain resources.”
Organisers added that while changes at the political and regulatory level are necessary, they must be accompanied and complemented by concrete and effective tools for companies and civil society.
The Euromed iHouse in Cyprus aims to support the implementation of these roadmaps and provide a place for collaboration between Euromed countries to face challenges confronting the Mediterranean.
ANIMA relies on a network of 70 member organisations in 20 countries and more than 400 experts and partners who can be mobilised, coordinated by a team of 15 people based in Marseille.
The network brings together government and local authority investment promotion and economic development agencies, entrepreneurial associations, innovation clusters, international investors and research institutes.
On the sidelines of the ANIMA forum, the network’s General Delegate, Emmanuel Noutary, and InvestCyprus CEO Marios Tannousis will visit the CYENS centre of excellence in old Nicosia, where the Euromed iHouse is based.
