Strengthening of Food, Agriculture and Water related International Research Cooperation of Algeria

Project Information

FAWIRA

Grant agreement ID: 295088

Project closed

Start date 1 December 2011

End date 30 November 2014

Funded under

• Specific Programme "Capacities": International co-operation

Total cost € 558 600,00

EU contribution € 499 060,00

Coordinated by

INSTITUT NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE AGRONOMIQUE D ALGERIE
Algeria

Final Report Summary - FAWIRA (Strengthening of Food, Agriculture and Water related International Research Cooperation of Algeria)

Executive Summary:
The overall objective of FAWIRA project is the strengthening of cooperation capacities for food, agriculture and water related research activities of INRAA in the context of the European Research Area and development of the Food, Agriculture and Water center of excellence, by facilitating its participation in European and regional collaborative research initiatives, to respond to Algerian’s socio-economic needs. The specific objectives of FAWIRA project are formulated as follows:
- Analysis of needs and opportunities in research and innovations fields related to Food, Agriculture and Water in Algeria.
- Build capacity and training activities (Human Capacities Building and Research Instrument’s Strengthening).
- Create network involving research institutions, SME’s and other stakeholders.
- Disseminate results and knowledge of the project.
- Ensure project sustainability.

The implementation of FAWIRA project has allowed reaching a significant number of tangible results, namely:
- Identification of needs and opportunities for research and innovation in Algeria conferring a greater visibility for researchers and formulation process of international projects for meeting the socio-economic needs of Algeria.
- Capacity building and training of researchers.
- Strengthening linkages and networks involving research institutions, public institutions and SMEs (Triple helix model) both at the national and regional level using, in the last case, a «Cluster» approach centred on regions and territories.
- The dissemination of project results and networking with European and international initiatives in favour of the internationalization of INRAA's activities

In addition to these results, the consortium has established appropriate conditions for the sustainability of the project, among which we can mention:
- The development of a strategic business plan for INRAA.
- The adaptation of the organization of INRAA by creating an economic valorization department of research results.
- Institutionalization of «open days» as a space devoted to the dialogue between the triple helix's stakeholders and as an instrument for updating database related to agricultural research needs and priorities in Algeria.
- Development and submission of new research projects (H 2020).

The potential impact of these results relate to strengthening links between the triple helix actors in Algeria, the development and consolidation of the Euro-Algerian scientific partnerships, greater integration of researchers and INRAA in the European Research Area (ERA) and, ultimately, promoting excellence and capacity building of INRAA.
Furthermore, the capacity building of INRAA, performed in FAWIRA project framework, has effectively contributed to the national effort in research-development to support the priority issues inherent to the country's food security.
Indeed, the activities implemented by the FAWIRA project have contributed to identifying and launching projects which have socio-economic impacts in terms of consolidation of sustainable development, valuation of research products, promotion of innovation, entrepreneurship development and job creation in the areas of agriculture, food industry and water resources.

Project Context and Objectives:
«Strengthening of Food, Agriculture and Water related International Research Cooperation of Algeria» (FAWIRA) is a UE funded project dedicated to the reinforcement of cooperation capacities of the INRAA (National Institute of Agronomic Research of Algeria).
The overall objective of FAWIRA project is the strengthening of cooperation capacities for food, agriculture and water related research activities of INRAA in the context of the European Research Area and development of the Food, Agriculture and Water center of excellence, by facilitating its participation in European and regional collaborative research initiatives, to respond to Algerian’s socio-economic needs.
According to this framework, the specific objectives of FAWIRA project are formulated as follows:
- Analysis of needs and opportunities in research and innovations fields related to Food, Agriculture and Water in Algeria.
- Build capacity and training activities (Human Capacities Building and Research Instrument’s Strengthening).
- Create network involving research institutions, SME’s and other stakeholders.
- Disseminate results and knowledge of the project.
- Ensure project sustainability.

Project Results:
The activities developed in the framework of FAWIRA project had allowed reaching a significant number of tangible results.

1- Analysis of Food, Agriculture and Water Research Needs and Opportunities in Algeria.
The activities performed during the project have been at the origin of the:
• Identification of the Algerian research and innovation priorities in the fields of food, agriculture and water (FAW).
• Establishment of State of the art related to research and technologies in Algeria in the field of FAW and identification of sectors, technologies and prospects to satisfy Algerian socio-economic needs.
• Creation of database related to research and innovation needs and priorities that will be utilized to build Euro-Algerian projects.
• Analysis of national policies and current S&T Cooperation in FAW in prospect of strengthening relationship and cooperation between Algerian institutions and to create a network for the participation in European and international research activities responding to the needs of Algeria.
• Identification of commercial opportunities to be developed in the future through research and innovation activities devoted to FAW.

2 - Enhance innovation.
In prospect to create an industry-led food-water innovation cluster with the participation of INRAA’s researchers and, in general, to enhance cooperation between the Algeria and the EU, three “Open Days” to promote link between researchers and SMEs have been organized by the project. The main results achieved through these activities are:
- The identification of needs, challenges and targets of the food and water sector to enhance innovation in Algeria.
- The establishment of an olive oil cluster in Bouira region including researchers from INRAA, local institutions, and a specialized cooperative (“Coopérative CHOK”).
- The establishments of a strategic development plan for competitive research to face the needs of regional market.

3 - Human capacities building and research instrument’s strengthening.
Intense activities related to capacity building have been performed to enhance INRAA’s researchers capacities. These activities had been centered on organization of four kinds of activities:
• Training workshop for researchers.
During the whole project duration, two training sessions were organized. These training sessions were oriented towards the formation of junior and senior researchers around thematic related to the FP 7 and H 2020 programs.
• Organization of Brokerage-events for definition of project ideas and drafting project concept.
Three brokerage events, organized during the project duration, have been used as a dialogue space to collect different concept ideas and needs from SMEs, public administrations and research centers. These brokerage meetings have allowed establishing a list of projects and project ideas (25 in total). Some of these projects have already reached an advanced maturation process. The maturation and identification process of projects, as well as the identification of partners that will be involved in proposals, will continue through the «Open days» that will be institutionalized by INRAA as a framework for dialogue and consultation with triple helix actors.
• Coaching sessions on proposal making and project management.
Implemented since of the beginning of the project, the coaching process was based on two «face-to-face» coaching sessions, supplemented by an electronic support provided to researchers between the two sessions. Thirty-five (35) researchers received individual coaching since the starting of the project.
Researchers coached and engaging in the formulation of concept-notes as well as in H2020 projects have been and will be systematically monitored by the consortium and INRAA. Some of these researchers have been already involved in FP7 projects (CINEA Project), while others are either at the stage of finalizing their H2020 project proposals (Submission stage reached) or at the beginning of maturation process of their projects ideas.
Holders of these projects have participated in a study trip in Europe (Italy) to develop their projects and improve their project formulation capacity. We note, moreover, that the best concept notes were selected to be the subject of a special communication during the final conference of FAWIRA project.
• Setting up a new laboratory dedicated to Agrifood technology.
A new Agrifood technology laboratory has been established at INRAA level. The setting up of laboratory was supported by a training program including a technological training provided by project partners and a specific training has been implemented to help technicians and researchers to calibrate and master the available equipment. Experts that have been subcontracted carried out the last.

4- Strategic planning and strengthening of INRAA.
A business plan for integration, internationalization and expansion of INRAA’s activities has been developed. It mainly includes results derived from:
- Analysis of INRAA’s specific needs for research, training and mobility/networking in relation to present trends in the Food, Agriculture and Water sector.
- An in depth analysis of the environment in which INRAA is embedded (Threats and opportunities).
- Strategic activities in the reference area and actions needed for improving visibility and creating effective networks;
- Resources needed for upgrading existing human capabilities and the technical infrastructure and equipment and the related level of potential investment.

5- Networking activities.
Several activities have been executed to ensure networking activities with other relevant EU initiatives. Indeed, the FAWIRA consortium participated in nearly 43 national and international events covering a wide spectrum of activities including in particular:
- Networking activities and exchanges with EU funded projects (CINEA, EARN, MEDSPRING, FP4BATIW, MOICT).
- Participation in Euro-Mediterranean and European conferences organized around issues related to water and environment.

Finally, the project had been closed by a final conference held at INRAA headquarters on 27 November 2014. This conference was an opportunity to present outcomes of the project and was attended by all actors that have been involved in the implementation of project activities since its inception (SMEs, research centers, universities, public institutions). This conference was enhanced by the active participation of the senior officials from Algerian Ministry of Agriculture and scientific research and EU delegation.

Potential Impact:
1- Potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far).

The potential impact of the project relates to strengthening links between the triple helix actors (Research, SMEs, Public institutions) in Algeria, the development and consolidation of the Euro-Algerian scientific partnerships, greater integration of researchers and INRAA in the European Research Area (ERA) and, ultimately, promoting excellence and capacity building of INRAA.

1.1 - Strengthening linkages between stakeholders of the triple helix in Algeria.
The first expected impact is the consolidation of relations and cooperation between public and private actors of the triple helix in Algeria and the creation of a favorable environment for greater participation in international research activities (H2020 and other international and European programs) in the field of agriculture, agrifood and water.
In this sense, the FAWIRA project has allowed to organize and develop relationships with mentioned actors through several networking activities. Besides the creation of an innovative cluster dedicated to olive oil in the «Bouira» region, institutional actors (ANVREDET, ONID), economic companies («Cooperative CHOK», «Inoculum Plus», «EURL Agrilab», «ASGARD») as well as research centers (UTSHB, USTO, ENP, EPAU) have been associated in all project activities. Some of these actors have been embedded in UE funded projects (CINEA Project) or in new consortia formed to submit new H2020 projects.
This trend will be reinforced by the institutionalization of INRAA's "open days" and the launch of project portfolios identified by the FAWIRA consortium.

1.2 - Development and consolidation of the Euro-Algerian-scientific partnerships.
The development and strengthening scientific partnerships between national stakeholders and EU partners have been, without any doubt, one of the expected impacts of FAWIRA project whose efforts have been focused on the prospect of building collaborative networks between the two parties by strengthening contacts involving INRAA and other European research organizations to develop joint or collaborative research projects.
To this end, as part of activities implemented during the whole project duration, in particular through networking activities and participation in research proposals, INRAA was able to develop a network of partners made up of 70 European partners and 44 national organizations (See details in Appendix) incorporating both research centers, SMEs and public institutions.
These networks have enabled the INRAA and other Algerian institutions (ANVREDET, ITAFV, UFC, USTO ... etc.) to integrate consortia and develop research proposals, driven by European countries, in H2020 framework.
The development of RTD projects, identified by the FAWIRA consortium, is an evident prospect for the consolidation of these partnerships to support the relevant common socio-economic problems for both parties like issues related to food safety, adaptation to climate change, management of natural resources and agro-biodiversity, water management, the development of the innovation capacities of agrifood enterprises, the development of territorial agrifood chains (Olive Oil, Dates, Organic resources ), the promotion of social farming, the development and promotion of the small family farms.

1.3 - Further integration of researchers and INRA in the European Research Area
The development of the above mentioned networks will ensure integration of the Algerian researchers community into the European Research Area (ERA) and improve their performance to meet national and regional socio-economic needs. In particular, greater participation of INRAA and national partners in H2020 programs and their integration into international RTD networks is expected.
Improving the competitiveness of researchers and progress in their careers count, also, among the most important benefits of the project.

1-4 - Excellence and capacity building of INRAA
Pave the way to the establishment of the first foundations of INRAA, in the direction of the excellence of this research institution, is an undeniable impact of FAWIRA Project. This effort in view of the emergence of an international center of excellence, mobilized to support socio-economic needs of Algeria, will continue through projects currently in maturation. This requirement is clearly reflected in the strategic "Business Plan" developed by the FAWIRA project.

1.5 - Socio-economic impacts
The capacity building of INRAA, performed in the FAWIRA project framework, will effectively contribute to the national effort in research-development to support the priority issues inherent to the country's food security.
Furthermore, the activities implemented by the FAWIRA project have contributed to identifying and launching projects which have socio-economic impacts in terms of consolidation of sustainable development, valuation of research products, promotion of innovation, entrepreneurship development and job creation in the areas of agriculture, food industry and water resources.

2- Dissemination activities
Several activities have been executed to ensure dissemination of information related to project activities. Since it’s launching, the FAWIRA project was supported by a large mediatization and dissemination process to inform stakeholders and involve the triple helix actors (SMEs, researchers, public institutions).
The communication via Internet was developed through implementation of an online website and a forum dedicated to Innovation and triple helix actors communication:
• Official Website of the project: http://www.fawira-project.eu/
• Forum Link: http://www.fawira-project.eu/blog/
On the other hand, in order to increase the visibility of project activities and integrate civil society actors, all most important social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Slide Share, YouTube...etc.) have been mobilized by the FAWIRA consortium. All these communication tools have been and will be mobilized in the future to deal with triple helix actors, especially civil society and market forces, and to give a great hearing to the INRAA's activities.
Furthermore, the activities developed since the launch of the project have been subject to extensive media coverage through both written press and broadcast media. This was particularly the case for open days, brokerage-events and the final conference. Thus, no less than 17 daily newspapers, in Arabic and French languages, and three television channels have provided coverage of the activities of FAWIRA project since its inception.
List of Websites:
Relevant contacts during the implementation of the project:

Ministère de l’industrie et de la promotion des investissements (Direction de la Wilaya de Blida)
Mme Baya Hariouk. Mail : [e-mail]

Ministère de l’Agriculture et du Développement Rural (MADR)
Mme Hamana Korichi. Mail : [e-mail]
Mr. Skander Mekersi. Mail: [e-mail]

Direction de la Recherche Scientifique et du Développement technologique (DGRSDT/Ministère de l’Enseignement Supérieur et de la Recherche Scientifique, MESRS)
Mme Ferial Souami. Mail: [e-mail]
Mr. Belkada Rachid. Mail : [e-mail]

Agence Nationale de Soutien à l’Emploi des Jeunes (ANSEJ)
Mr. Bouzar. Mail: [e-mail]
Mme Kadri Nawel. Email : [e-mail]

Agence Nationale de la Valorisation de la Recherche et du développement technologique (ANVREDET)
Pr. Halliche Dalila. Mail : [e-mail]
Mr. Fragua Rabah. Mail [e-mail]

Bureau National des Etudes pour le Développement Rural (BNEDER)
Mr. Salah Bey Aboud. Mail: [e-mail]

Centre de développement des énergies renouvelables (CDER)
Mlle Aziza Madjda. Mail : [e-mail]

Centre National Recherche et Développement de la pêche et de l'aquaculture (CNRDPA)
Mme Hidour Imene. Mail : [e-mail]

Centre de Recherche en Economie Appliquée pour le Développement (CREAD)
Mr. Lazreg M. Mail: [e-mail]

Ecole Nationale Polytechnique (ENP)
Pr. Stihi Mohamed. Mail: [e-mail]
Pr. Mammeri Nabil. Mail: [e-mail]

Ecole National Supérieure Agronomique (ENSA)
Pr. Kaddour Etsouri. Mail : [e-mail]
Dr. Chérif Omari. Mail : [e-mail]
Dr. Benchabane. Mail : [e-mail]
Dr. Khelifi Lakhdar. Mail : [e-mail]
Dr. Amiali Malek. Mail: [e-mail]

Institut National des Statistiques et de Planification (INPS)
Dr. Kaci Mohammed. Mail : [e-mail]

Institut Supérieur de la Gestion et de Planification (ISGP)
Dr. Mokhtar Benebdelatif. Mail: [e-mail]

Institut National de la Propriété Industrielle (INAPI)
Mr. M. A. Hadjouti. Mail: [e-mail]

EARN Project (UE funded Project)
Dr Sifeddine labed. Mail: [e-mail]

CINEA Project (UE funded Project)
Dr. Andrea Loesch (Coordinator). Mail: [e-mail]

MIRA Project (UE funded Project)
Dr. Raphael Rodriguez. Mail: [e-mail]

FP4BATIW Project (UE funded Project)
Dr. Nicola Tucci. Mail: [e-mail]

Join Research Center (JRC)
Dr. Olivier Léo. Mail: [e-mail]

INNOVABIC
Dr. Alberto Soraci. Mail: [e-mail]

Centre National de la recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
Dr. Benoit Dardelet. Mail: [e-mail]

Fondation FilaHa Innov
Dr. Nouad Mohand Amokrane. Mail: [e-mail]

Institut National des Sols, de l'Irrigation et du Drainage (INSID)
Mme Bougrida O. Mail : [e-mail]
Mme Allel Karima Mail: [e-mail]

Institut Technique des Grandes Cultures (ITGC)
Mme. Madani Manissa. Mail : [e-mail]

Office National de l'Irrigation et du Drainage (ONID)
Mr. Talaboulma R

Université des Sciences et de la Technologie d'Oran (USTO)
Dr. Kacem Mourad. Mail : [e-mail]

Université Mouloud Mammeri Tizi Ouzou
Mr. Sifer Kamel. Mail : [e-mail]

EPAU / ASGARD Project
Mlle Dahmani Souhia. Mail : [e-mail]
Mr. Boutaouche Oussama
Mr. Bouroubi Salah

Aquasafe Srl
Mlle Malek Imene. Mail: [e-mail]

EURL AGriLab
Dr. Acourène Said. Mail : [e-mail]

SONATRACH/SNTR
Dr. Baaziz Abdelkader. Mail: [e-mail]

Association des Eleveurs Producteurs de Lait de Dar El Beida, Algeria
Mr. Alouni A. Mail. [e-mail]

SAIDAL
Dr. Hacene Ismail. Mail: [e-mail]

SIFAT
Mme Yazi Karima. Mail: [e-mail]

Mutuelle de la Datte
Mr. Djennane Ammar. Mail : [e-mail]

AfriDattes
Mr. Khiredine El Mouaaz

ISO International
Mr. Aboudaou Malek. Mail: [e-mail]

Electronic Solutions
Mr. Amaini Rafik. Mail: [e-mail]
Mr. Djeba Toufik. Mail: [e-mail]
Mr. Elberkennou H.A. Mail: [e-mail]

BIOVERFORT
Mr. Abdeslam Lakhdar. Mail: [e-mail]

CEVIAGRO (Company)
Mme Boussad Fariza. Mail : [e-mail]

Coopérative Huile d’Olive de Kaylie (CHOK)
Mr. Rahal Abdelkrim. Mail : [e-mail]

Public Project website adress: http://www.fawira-project.eu

Related documents

• final1-annex-implementation.pdf