ANR and the Mediterranean region
The Mediterranean: what are the main research issues?
Since 2010, the ANR has funded 3 foresight workshops related to the Mediterranean. The Foresight Workshops are intended to encourage collective and prospective analyses on emerging themes with strong societal and scientific implications. These workshops unite researchers and decision makers from the public, private and associative sectors and serve to identify new research questions, in areas as yet relatively unstructured.
- 2010-2011: The PARME Foresight Workshop: “What research and what partnerships in the Mediterranean?” identifies 3 broad research domains:
- Men, women, societies and territories (demography, migrations, religions, etc.)
- Natural resources: environment, water, soil and energy
- Agriculture, food and health
- 2012-2013: The FUTOURAUMED Foresight Workshop is dedicated to the migration flows between both shores of the Mediterranean
- 2013-2014: The MEDMER Foresight Workshop is focused on the adaptation to global change in the Mediterranean Sea
Research supported by ANR
The Mediterranean is the only region in the world which is the subject of a specific programming at the ANR. The aim is to encourage interdisciplinary research works and systemic approaches.
- In ANR’s Work programme 2014, the Mediterranean research community is particularly concerned by the societal challenge “Food security and the demographical challenge”
- In 2012, ANR launched a specific programme to reflect on the future of the Mediterranean: the Transmed programme on “Cross-disciplinary research on the future of the Mediterranean”
Partnership and Networking for the Mediterranean: ANR is involved in several EU initiatives
ANR takes an active part in European discussions on multidisciplinary research topics in the Mediterranean area. Together with its Mediterranean and European partners, it is committing to building a Euro-Mediterranean research area, and in 2012 took part in the first call for proposals of ERA-NET ARIMNET on urgent questions of agricultural research in the Mediterranean area. The funded projects bring together researchers from the North and South and are funded by their respective countries.
The ANR has also helped set up a multidisciplinary programme in the Mediterranean (ERA-NET MED) and has attended discussions on preparing an article 185 linking southern countries in research for the Mediterranean.
For further information:
An ERA-NET is an instrument of the EU policy to develop and strengthen the coordination of national research programmes. It is a network of funding agencies and research bodies funded by the European Commission.
- ERA-NET ARIMNET is the "Agricultural research in the Mediterranean Newtork" funded by the European Union and coordinated by the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) which aims at coordinating national agricultural research programmes.
- ERA-NET MED: coordinated by Italy, it responds to strategic and political statements for reinforcing Euro-Mediterranean cooperation on research and innovation by supporting competitive research, innovation clustering, capacity building and mobility.
