The Mediterranean region faces complex and interconnected challenges, from water scarcity and climate change to pressures on food systems and agriculture. To tackle these, the European Union created PRIMA – the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area – a cooperation initiative launched under Horizon 2020 and continued under Horizon Europe. PRIMA supports collaborative research projects aimed at sustainable agro-food systems and integrated water management, involving both EU Member States and countries across the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean.
The European Commission entrusted CSIL with evaluating how PRIMA has evolved since its establishment. The aim was to assess the programme’s design, implementation, performance, and its added value to R&I cooperation in the Mediterranean countries in the EU and beyond.
CSIL led a comprehensive evaluation using a mix of research techniques. The study reviewed policy documents, analysed data from PRIMA-funded projects, and mapped the programme’s alignment with broader EU strategies. Through interviews and surveys, CSIL gathered insights from key stakeholders, including project coordinators, national contact points, and policy officials. Selected projects were studied in detail to understand their real-world impacts—scientific, societal, economic and policy-related. We also compared PRIMA with other EU and international R&I partnerships and examined its coherence with EU programmes and national policies in member countries.