Related previous and current projects and initiatives, activities and services promoting international connections
MD.net
Defend, preserve and promote the MD. Join the Med Diet Declaration! Endorsing this declaration is an opportunity for local and regional actors to demonstrate the crucial role they can play in strengthening the economic potential of the Mediterranean diet in rapidly changing landscapes and lifestyles.
MD.Data – Sharing scientific knowledge and research on the Mediterranean Diet through a transnational network platform.
MD.Brand – Strengthen Mediterranean Diet identity and steady cooperation between regions to apply common methodologies to foster SMEs in the international market competition.
MD.InC – Innovation and creativity of products and services through a permanent platform.
MD.Brain – Shared methodology of courses and workshops for information and co-creation of Mediterranean Diet professionals.
MD.GOV – Strengthening of partnerships among Quadruple-helix actors.
MD.TN.net – Enlarged MD.net transnational capitalisation: successful transferring and capitalisation of MD tools, achievements and knowledge to MED regions.
Export food Sudoe
-Creation of transnational export consortia in the agri-food sector. -Organization of 3-5 business meetings in the beneficiary regions, where SMEs from different countries can meet and find common ground. -Promotion of consortia formed at international food fairs (SIAL, ALIMENTARIA) and advice on their entry into target markets.
REVIVE – Developing community based innovative
business models for the revival of the internal areas in the Mediterranean
Joint event organization, networking of stakeholders, exchange of information, building synergies.
NUDGES- Novel Support tools to Mediterranean
Governments Exploiting Behavioral Incentives
Joint testing with the NUDGES project.
ADVANCE CIRCULAR – Linking Tourism Industry with
VET to embrace circularity
Joint event organization, networking of stakeholders, exchange of information, building synergies.
Joint Qualification for Vocational Education and Training (VET) centers in the Field of Cultural Tourism –CulTVET
Τraining for tour guides involved in cultural tourism
Joint curriculum: Through the creation of a working group and in close collaboration with stakeholders the formed joint curriculum is describing specific competencies that learners need to acquire.
Cultura Bridges
– involvement of 80 VET students and 80 SMEs working in the field of cultural tourism.
– development of a highly skilled, qualified and mobile workforce.
– Introduction of e-apprenticeships and other tools of greenification of technical and vocational education.
DM4You – Mediterranean Diet for Youth
The DM4You project offers a range of resources and tools to promote the Mediterranean Diet among youth and education professionals, particularly in a school and community setting:
Project Website – Main hub for resources, project description, and updates:
– https://dm4you.ipportalegre.pt
– Online Training Materials – E-learning content designed to empower teachers and health educators in promoting healthy eating habits
– Educational Toolkit – Practical tools and methodologies to integrate the Mediterranean Diet into school activities
– Pilot Activities and Community Workshops – Local engagement actions developed by partners in schools and municipalities
– Newsletter and News Section – Regular updates on the project’s implementation and events
– Digital Platform for Sharing Best Practices – (in development) Collaborative space for institutions and educators involved
The DM4You project actively involves local communities through:
– School communities in Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Italy, and Spain – engaging students, teachers, and school staff
– Local municipalities and public health authorities – supporting education campaigns and pilot activities
– Instituto Politécnico de Portalegre (Portugal) and other academic partners – ensuring strong territorial integration
– Family involvement – Parents and caregivers are encouraged to participate in awareness and behaviour-change actions
– Local events and workshops – Used to test and disseminate the toolkit and promote the Mediterranean Diet as cultural and nutritional heritage
– Erasmus+ strategic cooperation – The project fosters a transnational community of educators and nutrition promoters through knowledge exchange
AgroPymes Avanza AAA (POCTEP – Algarve & Alentejo)
– Capacity-building and tailored business consultancy for small agri-food enterprises
– Digital tools for diagnosis and technical assistance
– Training on sustainability, digitalisation, and marketing strategies
– Cross-border collaboration among SMEs and public/private actors- Direct support to agri-food SMEs in Algarve, Alentejo and Andalusia
– Strengthening of local entrepreneurship ecosystems
– Focus on traditional food production and rural development linked to Mediterranean identity
PROTOTYPING AAA+ – Transnational Cooperation Network for Improving the Business Competitiveness of the Agri‑Food Sector through Prototyping
Training and mentoring sessions for agri-food SMEs from Algarve-Alentejo-Andalusia to develop and test new innovative products under low-risk prototyping schemes (“white factories”, incubators)
Use of co-design and prototyping tools to accelerate product-market fit and business competitiveness
Business support networks linking SMEs across regions (e.g. “Mother Companies Programme”) to foster collaboration
Direct engagement of ~130 SMEs in agroalimentar across the Euroregion, with 57 new products developed through the prototyping process
Collaborative activities across Portuguese and Andalusian enterprises, integrating producers, academia, and regional agencies including ADRAL, Universidade do Algarve, and COAG Andalucía
Alignment with rural entrepreneurship ecosystems and valorisation of traditional/territorial products in low-density areas
“BALKANET – Balkan Network of Ideas for Sustainable Innovation in the Agri-Food Sector”
ENTREPRENEURSHIP GUIDE GREECE – ALBANIA – BULGARIA
Communication and marketing roadmap tool (strategic roadmap which is a time-based plan that determines where your company is now, where it wants to go, and how to get there. The roadmap is basically a purely visual expression of the strategy, which the organization prepares and presents information related to future plans in an easy-to-follow way).
Online Questionnaires concerning CIRCULAR ECONOMY; MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS and DIGITALIZATION.
The BALKANET E-Platform provides web-based services in the area of marketing, digitalization and circular economy, to SMEs in the agrifood sector. It provides useful links regarding national authorities, companies, educational institutes and institutions and organizations, which support innovations and sustainable development in the agrifood sector.
People Powered Tourism
Empowerment of local communities through co-designing experience based transformative travel to enhance visitor economy
