The UVic-UCC hosts the meeting to launch the Interreg Mediterranean SYNGGI project, led by the BETA Technology Centre

All the members of the European project SYNGGI (Synergies for Green Growth Initiative), funded by the Interreg Mediterranean programme, led by the BETA Technology Centre, met at the UVic-UCC this week. SYNGGI acts as an umbrella and a nexus for projects in the green growth branch of the programme, covering issues in the field of sustainability, the circular economy and energy efficiency, among others. These projects are aimed at promoting innovation in order to achieve a greener and sustainable growth in the Mediterranean region.

The BETA TC is the coordinator of SYNGGI, and aims to build a networked community including all the participants and to evaluate, convey and capitalise on the results of the various projects funded in the green growth field. "We are the link between each specific project and the European Union," explains Laia Llenas, deputy director of the BETA TC, who points out that "we must evaluate the results and look for synergies to make the most of each project that is involved, with the ultimate goal of unifying the results and making solid proposals for new European policies".

The first part of the meeting (Monday and Tuesday morning) included several preparatory and coordination meetings for the five members of SYNGGI: apart from the BETA TC, the other members of the project are the University Consortium for Industrial and Managerial Economics (Italy), the Regional Council of Durres (Albania), the consultancy Dynamic Vision PC (Greece) and the Fondazione Ecosistemi (Italy). The second part, on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday, was open to members of the six projects that have already joined SYNGGI, which are all in the fields of the food and agriculture industry, sustainable production and sustainable energy. In total, the meeting was attended by approximately thirty people from seven countries in Mediterranean Europe, including the representative of the Joint Secretariat of Interreg Mediterranean, Maria Groueva.

The rector of the UVic-UCC, Jordi Montaña, opened the meeting on Tuesday, and in his speech he expressed his conviction that projects such as SYNGGI "have a positive impact not only in the Mediterranean arc but throughout Europe, promoting new policies and providing unified results." He encouraged the participants to "work together" and to "create fruitful synergies."

The starting point of the Green Growth Community

One of the main objectives of the meeting was to establish the starting point for the Green Growth Community (GGC), a community led by the SYNGGI project and composed of all the projects within it. "We wanted to reinforce the feeling of belonging to the community for all the members, and to make it clear that by working together under our umbrella with one common goal, all the projects carried out will have more impact, a higher profile and will be more powerful," explains Laia Llenas. Concepts such as the circular economy, sustainability, efficiency and eco-innovation are part of the vision of the GGC, and the definition was discussed in a workshop in the meeting.

The programme also included revolving B2B sessions, which put each of the projects involved in touch with each other, in order to "begin to identify synergies and establish ties," says Llenas. The next major milestone in the calendar is in June, when the UVic-UCC will host more than a hundred people at a transnational event based around the food and agriculture industry. The event will be open to the entire GGC and all the relevant parties in the sector in Catalonia and Europe, in both the Mediterranean arc and the rest of the European Union.

The SYNGGI project will last for three years and has a total budget of 1.1 million Euros.