The program aims at contributing to a smart, sustainable and inclusive growth at cross-border level, aiding specialization in the research and innovation sectors, fostering the competitiveness of micro, small and medium enterprises, protecting the environment and promoting actions to mitigate climate change effects and the natural and anthropogenic risks of the area.
The program promotes actions enhancing the potential of the blue economy and generating sustainable growth and new jobs in maritime sectors, such as the development of maritime tourism. Cooperation to improve marine knowledge, Maritime Spatial Planning and Integrated Maritime Surveillance should be foreseen.
Three priority axes are identified, plus a technical assistance activity:
Axes 1 - Strengthening research, technological development and innovation; aiming at innovation and creation of clusters that will connect the research and business sectors of the two islands (Malta and Sicily).
Axes 2 - Promoting competitiveness in the cross border area; aiming at creating innovative start-ups, joint actions for promoting the birth of new enterprises, joint network to offer cross-border services such as SME’s incubators, co-working spaces, fab-labs.
Axes 3 - Protecting the environment and fostering an efficient use of resources; the actions shall be aimed at the protection and recovery of ecological diversity, pilot projects to restore the marine ecosystems, actions able to mitigate any harmful effect of possible marine hazard scenario.
Technical assistance; actions aimed at the implementation of the programme, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the programme’s management and surveillance system.
Different public and private entities are eligible for different funding sections of the program (axes). Details are available in the open call for proposals (see below for relevant links).
The eligible area includes the whole Malta territory and the Italian provinces of Sicily: Trapani, Palermo, Messina, Agrigento, Caltanissetta, Enna, Catania, Ragusa, and Siracusa.
Calls are now open and will close on November 8th, 2016. Project length should not exceed 36 months.
The three priority axes and the technical assistance activity see the following budget allocation:
Axes 1 - Strengthening research, technological development and innovation: € 15,512,531 (30% of the overall budget).
Axes 2 - Promoting competitiveness in the cross border area: € 8,790,435 (17% of the overall budget).
Axes 3 - Protecting the environment and fostering an efficient use of resources: € 23,876,060 (46.17% of the overall budget).
Technical assistance: € 3,529,412 (6.83% of the overall budget).
More information regarding this program can be found at:
http://www.italiamalta.eu/en/programmazione-2014-2020.html
The documents related to the open call for proposals are available at:
http://www.italiamalta.eu/index2.php?option=com_content&id=212&lang=en&….