Over the last two weeks various information meetings were held at the FOI's premises in connection to the METIC (Mediterranean Trading and Innovation Centre) project. The intentions of such meetings were to outline the aims of this project, sketch a framework of how such aims should be achieved and assemble a plan of action coordinating future initiatives.
The objective mapped by the project is that of establishing a centre of excellence in research to promote the development of cross-border collaboration between Malta and Sicily. METIC aims at reaching such targets through enforcing the link between university and industry, and establishing networks that elicit future co-operation for pilot projects. Such projects seek to develop new products that would in turn consequently be launched in the market, tapping those areas where research is still evolving.
The project also caters for limitations common to both islands, varying from insularity and disconnection to the mainland. It also recognises the challenges being faced by several micro enterprises, including the fact that most of them cannot have their own in-house research.
Metic aims to overcome such weaknesses through the setting up of the required infrastructure which would allow a flowing exchange of knowledge and research between Malta and Sicily.
The areas of focus indicated in this project are alternative energy, rehabilitation of historical sites, telemedicine, e-learning, waste water treatment, solid waste, agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture. The two Maltese partners collaborating in this project, the FOI and the University of Malta, were assigned to map research studies taking place in enterprise and academia respectively, thus creating a state-of-the-art database.
This collaboration between industry and university is helping in reaching the target to create a platform for future pilot projects. In this regard, various exercises are being carried out, among which the collection of company profiles and the distribution of questionnaires to identity best practices of several organisations operating within the identified sectors of focus.
In line with FOI's assignment dealing with the construction of a network, a delegation made up of Gozitan entrepreneurs and experts from the agricultural field attended a convention in Mazzarino last week, which focused on the alternatives to prevent and cure Brucellosis, a disease still pertinent to Sicily.
Further activities to enforce such networks are scheduled in the coming weeks, where the FOI and its counterpart Confindustria Sicilia have scheduled additional meetings involving Maltese and Sicilian stakeholders from industry and university.
These engagements are to be held in Malta on November 6 and 7 to enforce collaboration between Maltese and Sicilian enterprises. In preparation for this event, the FOI is calling further meetings next week, for which Professor Liguori, project manager at the University of Palermo, will attend.
The Web portal mentioned in previous articles is currently in its concluding stages. It will operate as an online services delivery centre to all organisations and business operators participating in the project. All participants will be included in the Web portal, and will be able to administer their own homepage (uploading their company profile revealing the relevant data about any research being conducted or any other information they would wish to present).
The Web portal, besides serving as an advertising and contact display, will also offer the possibility of interaction with other enterprises, experts and the general public.
Individuals and enterprises interested in participating in this project are to contact assistant project manager Jeanelle Catania on tel. 2123-4428 or 2122-2074 or e-mail: info@foi.org.mt.