A workshop on Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area "PRIMA" was organized by the International Relations and Projects Directorate at Yarmouk University in cooperation with the Scientific Research and Innovation Fund of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research with attendance of 33 Faculty members and a number of students at the University.
The workshop was held in conjunction with the call by the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area for Jordanian researchers to submit scientific research proposals to benefit from direct and indirect support within the program "PRIMA 2020," worth half a billion euros over 10 years. This program aims to build research and innovative capacities, develop knowledge and common innovative solutions to agro-food and water systems, make them sustainable, and contribute to solving the problems of water scarcity, food security and nutrition.
During the workshop, Ms. Samar Wrekat, Head of the Fund's Innovation and Entrepreneurship Department and Coordinator of International Research Cooperation Programs, delivered a presentation on the program, explaining that during 2018, the Fund was committed to provide in coordination with the Higher Council for Science and Technology an amount of 100,000 to support research projects for the Jordanian side (30,000 per project), and only one project received support in (2019), while in 2020, 18 researchers submitted proposals to the Fund, where only 4 were nominated but unfortunately failed to pass the evaluation criteria from the European side. Then she highlighted the priorities set by the European side, the conditions to be met by the researcher, the documents and procedures to be followed for submission, as well budget distribution and scientific publication resulting from the project.
In turn, Dr. Mahmoud Abu Hussein, PRIMA Program Coordinator at the International Cooperation Department of the Higher Council for Science and Technology (SCSTP), explained that the program was launched in 2018 with the participation of 19 Mediterranean countries, and is considered the first of its kind at the regional level. He said that the program was divided into two sections, within the first section, researchers can apply directly to receive support from the European Union, while in the second, the co-funding of the national country through the competent national authority is requested, such as the Scientific Research Support Fund and the Higher Council for Science and Technology in the case of Jordan. He then explained the eligibility requirement and the technical and financial aspects for writing and submitting proposals, as well as the mechanisms for the program, noting that since 2017, the Government has authorized the Higher Council for Science and Technology to sign the PRIMA Agreement, as the national focal point for the program.
