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International Funding Initiative PRIMA

In 2018, the PRIMA (Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area) international funding initiative was launched. It aims to effectively address the challenges of the Mediterranean in terms of agri-food systems and water scarcity through research and innovation.

logo of the PRIMA funding initiative: a grain ear in front of the sun above the sea

© Fundación PRIMA

News

Call for expression of interest from experts to be appointed as members of the PRIMA Scientific Advisory Committee

In the international funding initiative PRIMA ("Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area"), the Scientific Advisory Committee advises on matters including the strategic priorities of PRIMA's annual work plans. The PRIMA Secretariat has published a call for expressions of interest for the appointment of qualified experts to the Scientific Advisory Committee (for the period 2021-2024). Deadline for submission of online applications is 11 May 2021.

The call is open to experts from the public or private sector with relevant expertise, competencies and work experience in PRIMA's thematic areas:

  • integrated and sustainable management of water for arid and semi-arid Mediterranean areas farming systems
  • sustainable farming systems under Mediterranean environmental constraints
  • sustainable Mediterranean agro-food value chain for regional and local development
  • Water, Energy, Food Energy and Ecosystems (WEFE) Nexus and/or in socio-economic sciences and cross-cutting issues as knowledge and
  • technology transfer, climate change, Information and Communication Technology

Relevant work experience in the Mediterranean region is required.

Publication of 4th PRIMA call for proposals

On 5 March 2021 PRIMA launched its 2021 call for proposals. The call includes seven topics to address the PRIMA Strategic Research and Innovation objectives toward a green, just and resilient recovery in the Mediterranean Area.

A total of 19 countries in Europe and the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean and the European Commission participate in PRIMA, an Article 185 initiative.

Participating countries include 11 EU Member States (Germany, France, Greece, Italy, Croatia, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Cyprus) and 8 Mediterranean partner countries (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey).

On the basis of a strategic research and innovation agenda, annual calls for proposals are presented in the priority areas of 'Water Management', 'Agricultural Systems' and 'Value Chains in the Agri-Food Industry'. For etailed information on the topics and the organisational structure visit the PRIMA website.

The total budget for PRIMA is just under € 500 million over a ten-year period, with the European Commission contributing € 220 million (from Horizon 2020) and the 19 participating countries € 274 million in total. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) will contribute € 20 million over the entire ten-year life span of the initiative. For scientists from Germany, the programme offers funding opportunities in all three of the aforementioned subject areas.

The International Bureau at the DLR Project Management Agency has been commissioned by the BMBF to implement projects selected from the funding measure, including the 2020 Annual Work Plan.

For the implementation of the funding measure from the Annual Work Plan 2021 onwards, the Project Management Agency Karlsruhe (PTKA) has been commissioned by the BMBF. The contact person for PRIMA at PTKA can be found in the contact box on the right.

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PRIMA funding for German applicants

In order to give German applicants a legal basis for funding, the national PRIMA funding announcement has been updated. It provides information on the legal framework and the eligible expenditure / costs.

The linked document contains important information for German applicants relevant for the preparation of project outlines.

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Work Programme results:

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Projects with PRIMA label (PRIMA Section 3)

Within the framework of bilateral BMBF announcements relevant to the PRIMA funding initiative, projects are funded with the PRIMA co-label.

The corresponding announcements are included in Section 3 of the PRIMA Annual Work Plans (so-called "Participating States Initiated Activities", PSIA). The funding of these projects represents an "in-kind" contribution of Germany to PRIMA.

to the projects

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Political context

The PRIMA Initiative encompasses the Member States of the European Union, the associated countries of the Horizon 2020 and the Mediterranean partner countries on an equal footing (co-ownership, co-financing and co-financing) with the participation of the European Commission under Article 185 TFEU. The PRIMA Basic Act provides the legal basis for the PRIMA Initiative.

Article 185 initiatives (formerly Art. 169 TEC) are intended to justify a long-term involvement of the Community in joint programs of several Member States. Participating Member States decide to set up a single joint support program and to finance this together.

The project executiong organisation of the PRIMA Initiative is the PRIMA Foundation. The Foundation is a non-profit public organisation founded under Spanish private law. The PRIMA Foundation is responsible for all administrative, supportive, supervisory and monitoring activities required to implement the PRIMA Programme. The seat of the foundation is Barcelona, ​​Spain.

The following link provides additional information on the governance of the PRIMA Initiative.

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flag of the European Union

PRIMA is an Article 185 TFEU Initiative. It is funded within the framework of 'Horizon 2020', the EU's 8th Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. For more details visit the international PRIMA website.