Joint program initiative Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA), led by participating countries in European Union and southern Mediterranean, and was founded with the idea tostrengthen Euro-Mediterranean cooperation in research and innovation area.
PRIMA was established as a public partnership, partly financed from the framework program Horizon 2020, and partly from participating countries’ financial contributions. Currently, 19 partner countries participate in the joint program PRIMA initiative and the Republic of Croatia is been a member since 2017.
PRIMA initiative’s eight operational goals are summarized in three main pillars: 1) sustainable water management in arid and semi-arid areas, 2) sustainable agricultural systems in the Mediterranean region’s limited conditions, and 3) value chain of Mediterranean nutrition for local and regional development.
As part of the 2021 PRIMA call’s results in 2021, two projects in which we participate were approved for funding by a competent national body and those are the project "Innovative sustainable organic sea fennel (Crithmum maritimum L.) – based cropping systems to boost agrobiodiversity, profitability, circularity and resilience to climate changes in Mediterranean small farms" (SEAFENNEL4MED), whose head of research group is assoc. prof. Ivana Generalić Mekinić, from the Faculty of Chemistry and Technology in Split, and partner institution the Institute for Adriatic Culture and Karst Reclamation, headed by Branimir Urlić Ph.D., and the project "Valorization of Mediterranean Almond orchards through the use of inter-cropping integrated strategies" (VALMEDALM), led by assoc. prof. Frane Strikić from the University Department of Marine Studies.
SEAFENNEL4MED
Goal of the SEAFENNEL4MED project is research of fennel germplasm from Mediterranean that is well adapted to this climate and weather conditions (e.g. lack of water, high salinity), for the development of new and sustainable ecological farming, which can increase agricultural systems’ resilience, by using agro-ecological principles contributing to zero pollution. Finally, considering limited resources and the environment, goals of the project are to improve stability of food production and increase producers’ income. Duration of the project is 36 months - starting from May 30, 2022 and it is financed by € 964,600.
At University of Split, in addition to project manager Ivana Generalić Mekinić, the project team consists of assoc. prof. Vida Šimat (SOSM), assist. prof. Danijela Skroza (KTF), assoc. prof. Olivera Politeo (KTF), assoc. prof. Ivica Ljubenkov (PMF) and assistant Linda Bazina (PMF).
VALMEDALM
The Mediterranean region has strong agricultural traditions connected to conventional agronomic practices. In various countries, such practices are not effective due to climate change, which leads to reduced fruit yield and productivity, as well as reduced economic returns for local farmers. VALMEDALM project’s goal is the use of intercropping within almond plantations as an integrated strategy, in line with economic, social and ecological aspects, which is implemented throughout Mediterranean basin, helping small farming system to adapt to climate change and increase farmers’ income, especially in those countries with lower productivity and valorization results.
Duration of the project is 36 months - starting from June 1, 2022 and it is financed by € 1,235,500. At University of Split, along with project manager Frane Strikić, the project team also consists of associate professors: Mario Bjeliš, Josip Gugić and Vedran Poljak, employees of the University Department of Marine Studies, and Tonka Petričević from University’s Projects Office.
By: assoc. prof. IVANA GENERALIĆ MEKINIĆ and assoc. prof. FRANE STRIKIC
Photo: Private album