MESAP took part to the 2nd edition of the TechDays, EU & MENA Innovators Matchmaking Event organised by THE NEXT SOCIETY in Tunis, including clusters, researchers, SMEs, industry experts and policy makers to encourage collaboration between these actors of the two shores of the Mediterranean through sectoral bilateral meetings and to bring about roadmaps for future collaborations.
The event has been divided in 2 days: on January 29th, a workshop has been focused to discuss on the barriers to internationalisation and the financing conditions. The next day during the Tunisian Technoparks Forum, clusters, SMEs, start-ups and researchers have been invited to find new partners to build up collaborative R&I projects and form consortia for Tunisian funding programmes and H2020 calls.
MESAP will also take part to the Mission organized by IT Italian Trade Agency (12-14 February) where ICT and mechatronics (clusters, companies, RTOs) will meet to discuss and open collaborations. The seminar ”The strategic Tunisian-Italian partnership in the sectors of mechatronics and ICT”
is organized by the Italian agency for foreign trade with the patronage of the Italian embassy in Tunisia in collaboration with Aidam – the Italian mechatronic automation association, as part of the European Union’s PES 2 program (plan exports south). The seminar will include a conference in the morning with the participation of representatives of Tunisian public institutions: the Italian side will be represented by Paolo Dondo, technical director of Mesap Innovation Cluster and a permanent member of the National cluster of smart factories. Business-to-business meetings are scheduled in the afternoon between Italian and Tunisian companies that are interested.
Why Tunisia ?
Being among the most competitive economies in Africa and the Arab world, the Tunisian economy offers businesses an environment of higher quality than those found in main competing countries. Tunisia is the 2nd manufacturer of automotive components in Africa.
The sector of Mechanical, Electrical and Electronic Industries (MEEI) has acquired a prominent position in the Tunisian industrial fabric, as :
- 18% of overall manufacturing industries in terms of number of companies and 26.4% in terms of employment positions in 2014;
- more than 130,000 employment positions;
- over 1,000 companies including 435 totally exporting units;
- an average annual growth exceeding 13% ;
- a value added exceeding 3,500 M TND;
- over 373 companies operating in electricity including 240 totally exporting companies;
Tunisia is part of MESAP strategy to enlarge open collaboration and industrial opportunities beyond Europe: the collaboration started in 2017 signing an Agreement with Sousse Cluster focused on mechatronics; the cluster also could help Italian companies to have a basis of of settlement.
You need more info? Get in contact with Paolo Dondo to p.dondo@advisor.mesap.it