Context
In the Southern Neighbourhood of the European Union (EU) – the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) – the environment for innovation is expanding. Generating, developing and testing innovative ideas and ultimately putting them to widespread use requires stakeholders from various areas of society to cooperate and network effectively. These include governmental and non-governmental representatives along with organisations and groups from the fields of policymaking, science, business and civil society. The innovation network is key to mobilising all stakeholders, knowledge and relationships for the development and dissemination of innovations.
Objective
Innovative measures that promote employment through increased trade and investment are trialled in the EU’s Southern Neighbourhood.
Approach
The innovation fund is a German contribution to the Team Europe Initiative (TEI) Jobs through Trade and Investment in the Southern Neighbourhood. Through this initiative, European partners link the promotion of trade and investment to increasing employment in the MENA region.
The fund promotes long-term social, sustainable and economic development while also supporting the creation of decent jobs in the MENA region. The financial resources provided through the innovation fund enable instruments that facilitate innovation to be tested, applied and rolled out on a wide scale. Examples include platforms for shared problem solving, corporate services such as e-commerce that support agricultural innovations, and networking for the parties providing advice and funding. The fund also ties these instruments into regional political dialogue.