MEDITERRANEAN INNOVATION & DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION SUMMIT

Actions, not words.

The aim of the Mediterranean Innovation and Digital Transformation Summit is to address one of the current main needs: the creation of a new collaborative platform that brings governments together with businesses and other stakeholders in private-public cooperation. By convening members of the public and private sectors and bringing new voices into the arena, such as Mediterranean start-ups, we hope to facilitate forward-leaning dialogue that understands and respects the values and culture of the region.

One of the main areas of interest of governments, the private sector and international organisations is investing in young people to unlock the demographic dividend.  This calls for joint action by all to urgently invest in the region’s youth to secure a prosperous future.

Large numbers of young people will work in occupations that do not yet exist as a result of the adoption of new technologies. This rapidly changing social and economic environment calls for new skills that are increasingly in demand, such as adaptability abilities. How well countries cope with the demand for changing job skills depends on how quickly the supply of those skills shifts within job training opportunities or the education system.

Mediterranean region is one of the most digitally connected in the world. Around 88% of its population is online daily, 94% of people in the region own a smartphone and digital consumption is similarly high in some countries. Nevertheless, Meridional and Eastern Mediterranean region has only realised 8% of its overall digital potential, compared to 15 % in Western Europe and 18% in the US. The region has its challenges, including legacy issues, such as difficulties in registering businesses, job protectionism or low investment in research and development (R&D). For example, the Southern Mediterranean countries generally spend less than 1% of their GDP on R&D, compared to the OECD average speed of 2.5%.

Despite that, the region is at the start of a new S-curve. The Mediterranean is experiencing a startling growth in both the number of successful start-ups and the amount of investment funding available to them. Start-ups are scaling by adapting their offerings and business models to serve local needs. Moreover, the number of investors in the region grew by 32% from 2015 to 2019, while total funding increased by more than 100% in the same period. Corporate venture capital funds (CVC) are also rapidly emerging in the evolving region investment ecosystem. The number of CVC assets under management increased by more than 2.4 times from 2012 to 2018, reaching 20% of total venture capital assets under management in the region.

Overall, the ecosystem supporting the growth of the region start-up landscape has been falling into place and distinct gaps remain for investors in properly identifying potential in new business models and scaling start-ups.

The Mediterranean Innovation & Digital Transformation Summit is focused on:

• Analysing the digital initiatives in the region and their potential impact on society and businesses.
• Becoming a digitally-enabled trade, innovation and investment hub through the use of digital technology from the fourth industrial revolution (4IR).
• Accelerating innovation through AI, AR and robotics the region is aiming to become a global leader in the adoption and application of AI.
• Making technological revolution both relevant and urgent. Relevant because we have a young, digitally-savvy population with some of the world’s highest levels of smartphone penetration, and urgent because the region suffers from high youth unemployment rates (nearly 30% in many countries).
• Focusing on start-ups. The Mediterranean has great potential to build its start-up ecosystem to support the digitisation plan. The Mediterranean needs a technological revolution. Start-ups can lead the way.
• Modernisation and digitalisation of the Mediterranean economy. The advent of 5G offers a major leap forward in communications quality, which is crucial for the region to develop a diversified, globally competitive communications network.

Mediterranean Innovation & Digital Transformation Summit Overview

ASCAME, in partnership with other relevant associations in the digital and innovation sectors, will bring together policymakers, entrepreneurs and academics from the Mediterranean region and beyond for a series of far-reaching discussions.  The Meda Innovation and Digital Transformation Summit will serve as a platform for international and regional companies, start-ups, innovators, entrepreneurs, and investors to display their innovations and inventions, discuss various topics and establish business relationships that ultimately will enrich the economy. In addition, it aims at being the Mediterranean’s largest gathering of innovations and innovators.

The event, which will be held within the framework of the 14th edition of MedaWeek Barcelona, will attract hundreds of participants to share their knowledge and best practices about the key topics in the Mediterranean innovation and digital world.

Main topics of the Mediterranean Innovation & Digital Transformation Summit

 Digital economy:

• How can build a diverse digital economy contribute to inclusive growth and job creation?
• How can new technologies change the Mediterranean?
• What will it mean for the Mediterranean region to become a leader on the world digital map?
• Critical factors for achieving the Mediterranean’s digital economy development targets.
• Potential role global technology companies could play in supporting governments’ digitalisation
• How to better position the region as a favourable destination for foreign global technology companies.
• Why international tech investors are turning towards the Mediterranean region?
• Development of a robust investment environment that leverages local context.
• How can we secure investment independence in governance to win the right talent?

Innovation & Digital Transformation:

• Opportunities and challenges for the Mediterranean region.
• Developing a comprehensive Digital Transformation Mediterranean Strategy.
• Digital Transformation in the Mediterranean: What and How? Where to Start? Barriers and challenges?
• Opportunities for digitizing the region’s industries.
• Innovation Trends in the Mediterranean region.
• Thinking outside the box.
• New business creation and business model innovation.
• Entrepreneurial, creative, sceptical. The truth about Mediterranean millennials.
• From start to scale: Setting up your business is one thing, successfully scaling is another.
• How to make start-ups a success in Mediterranean countries?
• Can an ecosystem of entrepreneurship and innovation be developed?
• How can entrepreneurs, investors, and support institutions work together from key emerging start-up ecosystems across Europe and the Mediterranean region?
• How can investors in the start-up space adopt best practices to unlock the potential of entrepreneurship in the region?
• The need for capital to achieve business goals. Main avenues to raise capital (crowdfunding, angel investors, venture capital, etc.); identify key stakeholders and the best alternatives to market projects.

The Forum will display:

• The Mediterranean’s most advanced technologies and digital ecosystems.
• An unrivalled insight, networking and business opportunities for Mediterranean, European and international tech leaders and investors who want to drive growth in the Mediterranean region.
• The latest trends and networking between key stakeholders from across the continent through keynotes, breakout sessions and networking events.
• Technology: A new field for confrontation between countries.
• Impact on the Mediterranean region of digital informal economy.

Speakers (to be invited):

• Gemma Batlle, IT and Fintech Business Development Manager, de Eurecat (Moderator)
• John Hoffman, CEO, GSMA
• Ramy Fares, Director of Retail, Travel & Transport for Middle East and Africa, Microsoft
• Loubna Azghoud, COO, Women in Business & Women in Tech
• Khaled Al Attar, Deputy Minister of communications and information technology
• Abdul Malek, Founder & Chairman, MENA Apps
• Boutheina Guermazi, Digital Development Director, World Bank
• Ihsane Himmi, Managing Director, Maroc Numeric Cluster
• Yvonne Jamal, Founder & CEO, JARO Institute for Sustainability and Digitalization
• Djaoued Salim Allal, CEO, ADEX Technology
• Mothanna Gharaibeh, Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship
• Henrik Von Scheel, Industry 4.0 originator, Leading authority on strategy & competitiveness
• Ali Muhammad Principal Investigator in Robotics Systems, VTT Finland

The digital agenda plays a key role in driving economic growth globally and in the Mediterranean region. Moreover, it contributes to the region’s increased interest in adopting new technologies to make human and capital assets more productive.

Emerging economies in the region have made fast progress in the last five years with both private and public sectors showing a growing interest in the innovation process. Providing the right innovation frameworks, management tools and building local capabilities, will, therefore, play a key role in energising creative individuals, SMEs, large corporations and governments to achieve the visions laid out for growth and competitiveness.

The digital revolution, which is reshaping the global economy and societies, offers numerous opportunities but also presents many challenges, thereby putting governments in a dilemma on how to shape it. While empowering individuals in many ways and spurring impressive inventions, it poses threats of cyber-attacks and privacy abuse. It also raises concern about the future of labour and social security markets.

Currently, the Mediterranean is undergoing a massive transformation via digitalisation. This is directly impacting the demand for robust digital infrastructure and the emergence of a vibrant tech ecosystem; hence, the skilled workforce will play a pivotal role in this process. As companies’ awareness of digital transformation is steadily increasing, they are considering IT to be an intrinsic business growth driver.

Digital transformation in the Mediterranean is a two-way process: While the talented workforce promotes digitalisation, the tech sector further produces job opportunities. The digital job market has the potential to create 3 million additional jobs in the region by 2025. Because it is not just about technology, it is also about looking for productivity and efficiency around what everybody does.

To make the digital future reality in the Mediterranean region and to take advantage of this immense opportunity, service providers, along with other stakeholders in the digital ecosystems, will have to transform into digital service providers, legacy systems and operating models. However, organisations are ill-equipped to provide the agility, speed and flexibility required to compete in a digital economy against digital natives.

Meda Digital Forum will explore the complexities of the digital transformation journey, taking an in-depth look into strategy and business model changes, cultural and organizational challenges, the technology underpinning the transformation and ways to monetize this new reality.

Companies in the global innovation and productivity scetor are typically younger, more global and digitally savvy. Their business models are built around the ability to leverage new technologies to reach into peoples’ lives and better respond to their needs.

A further area of concern is the geopolitical issues resulting from digital countries. Now more than ever, attention is focused on the battle between China and the United States. In appearance, it is no longer a standoff but a kind of Cold War with technology as a new field of confrontation. A field on which Europe is lagging even though it is a major competitiveness issue. How can the Mediterranean region and Europe get back into the race and weigh against the Chinese and the Americans?

Digital revolution is having an impact also on the informal economy in the Mediterranean region and therefore it is undergoing major changes in both Northern and Southern Mediterranean countries. It is increasingly necessary to understand the benefits and disadvantages of such changes.

This Forum was created to:

• Serve as a platform for international and regional companies, start-ups, innovators, entrepreneurs and investors to showcase their innovations and inventions, discuss various topics and establish business relationships that will ultimately enrich the economy.
• Provide an outlook at the latest trends and connect key stakeholders from across the continent.
• Be a central meeting place for leading innovators, breakthrough ideas and technologies that will transform society and the economy.

Speakers (to be invited):

• Ghinwa Jalloul, CEO, Technology Sarl (Moderator)
• Roger Font, Director Technology Consultancy Division, Eurecat
• Nadia Tazi, Chief information officer leading digital transformation and innovation, RENAULT Groupe
• Mary Nazzal-Batayneh, Chairperson, 17 Ventures
• Maroun N. Chammas, President and General Director, Berytech
• Steve Daheb, Senior Vice President, Oracle Cloud
• Lahcen Haddad, Social Development International Consultant, World Bank
• Mustapha Mokass, CEO, Climate Finance Group
• Hatem Bugshan, Head of Middle East, Big Innovation Centre
• Houssem Eddine El Bahi, Coordinator, Innovation for Change
• Rania Chengane, Co-Founder & Vice president, Dzair Innovates
• Marco Orellana, Manager, CIDAI – Centre of Innovation for Data Tech and Artificial Intelligence

The Mediterranean, a region of strategic trade routes for a long time, has become an international hub of human capital movement by creating rich soil for innovative ideas to spring. For decades, enterprises have enjoyed access to a mix of international and local talent. When e-commerce emerged as a way to buy and sell products and services online, it transformed day-to-day life.

The Mediterranean region was forced to move quickly to introduce laws and entities to regulate online payments and deliveries. At the forefront of this new model are companies that have rapidly become household names. These companies are at the vanguard of a new business user-generated or peer-to-peer business model that offers the region an exciting opportunity to drive economic diversification and job creation, but which is also challenging the relationship between private enterprise and government. Authorities will have to embrace this new business model, for the long-held policy of protecting state monopolies will ultimately buckle under the weight of user-generated demand.

A further area of concern is that the Mediterranean needs to find sustainable and resilient solutions to the problems of population growth and urbanisation since workforce development and job creation continue to be major concerns for all governments. Considering that, we live in the age of discoveries where science, technologies and innovations are key to progress and development. For our region to achieve progress and prosperity we need to ensure better standards of education and provide access to technical know-how to encourage innovation. Entrepreneurship should also be encouraged and entrepreneurial efforts of the youth should be applauded.

Mediterranean countries need to apply the concept of the diversity of knowledge. To achieve progress and development, countries should strive to improve existing models that already work and allow for further innovations and developments. We can gain from the experience of others and the knowledge available and use the information to innovate new technologies and ideas to help us compete with the more developed countries. Innovation is a need, not a choice.

As a matter of fact, innovation plays a key role in driving economic growth globally and in the Mediterranean region. Emerging economies in the region have made fast progress in the last five years with both private and public sectors showing growing interest in the innovation process. Providing the right innovation frameworks, management tools and building local capabilities, will therefore play a key role in energising creative individuals, SMEs, large corporations and governments to achieve the visions laid out for growth and competitiveness.

Innovation facilitates the transfer towards a knowledge-based society, encourages the diversification of the economy, improves the investment environment and ultimately boosts economic growth and stability. These are important guidelines to be studied and implemented with efficiency if we are serious about competing with the rest of the world.

Meda Innovation & Digital Transformation Forum is the must attend event for industry solution providers to engage with clients, government partners and to develop future business prospects in the region.

SMEs are a key and impact factor. They are the ones that generate the most jobs. As an example, it is calculated that for every million euros invested 14.7 jobs are created from an SME, compared to the 3.1 generated if the investment comes from a large company. SMEs contribute more than 40% to GDP in emerging economies. The private sector contributes 9 out of 10 jobs in developing countries, plays a key role in creating new jobs, fosters growth and has enormous potential.

SMEs in the Mediterranean are an inseparable part of its economy. The region has 25 million SMEs. All administrations recognise its importance and impact in creating wealth and diversifying economies, taking into account that these and informal companies represent 90% of the business fabric, 60% of GDP and 70% of employment in the region. But SMEs only receive 8% of total bank loans. However, this recognition has not led to effective solutions to the endemic problems suffered by these companies, but rather manifests itself tragically in each crisis.

This Meeting will be about:

• How can we create a suitable environment for SMEs and Startups to grow and prosper even during the crisis?
• What are the responses and policy measures that have been established to support the development of SMEs and Startups?
• What is needed to do to help them growth?

Speakers (to be invited):

• Fadi Saad, President, WBAF (moderator)
• Baybars Altuntas, Executive Chairman, WBAF
• E. Eduard Shalsi, Minister for Protection of Entrepreneurship Albania & Board member WBAF
• Marie-Christine Oghly, President of the World Association of Women Entrepreneurs & Senator WBAF
• Paul Doany, Serial investor in startups & SMEs & Rector WBAF Business School
• Feryal Nass, Chairwoman, Bahrain Entrepreneurship Organisation & Senator WBAF
• Hani Raad, Director and General Manager Middle East & Africa Small Business, Cisco
• Roberto Croci, Managing Director, Microsoft for Start-ups Microsoft
• Dina Sherif, Ahead of the Curve Centre for Entrepreneurship
• Conchi García, Co-Founder & CEO Club Ecommerce
• Othman Ktiri, Founder & CEO, OK cars mobility
• Diana Kobayter, Regional Expert, Particip GmbH

This conference will summarise a lot of the learnings and recommendations and provide valuable insights on the way forward for SMEs and Startups during their road to recovery, as well as provide SMEs with the necessary intelligence to innovate during the current climate.

Join us at the Meda Innovation & Digital Tranformation Summit and get to know the new trends,
find inspiration, and most importantly: do great business!