The Project involves Project Partners from 7 Mediterranean Countries where Competent Authorities, in charge of sector’s policy and surveillance, are involved and ensure project results sustainability. Objectives are reached by a CB Organic Ecosystem and a common strategy (O3.1); Consultancy services for business development to facilitate SMEs in innovative value chain creation (O4.1);

Local Labs to share knowledge and support new business alliances (O5.1) and international business events to facilitate MSMEs market access and the link with research (O5.2). 150 MSMEs (production, processing, supply, trade etc.) are involved and at least 24 organic MSMEs are directly supported. Project final beneficiaries are agro-food MSMEs at large and consumers that benefit at all levels from a trustful organic sector.

The general objective of the Programme is to foster fair, equitable and sustainable economic, social and territorial development, which may advance cross-border integration and valorise participating countries’ territories and values. The strategy is based on the following two overall objectives:

• Promote economic and social development
• Address common challenges in the environment

Agriculture puts a lot of pressure on the environment. Soil fertility, biodiversity and human life are all negatively impacted by intensive and extensive farming. There is no doubt that organic agriculture is a great solution to achieve food safety and security as well as environmental sustainability. However, organic agriculture is still relatively underdeveloped in Mediterranean countries with heterogeneous situations from country to country.

Main shared challenges are inconsistent or lacking support policies from national/local governments, low innovation capacities, limited knowledge of sustainable farming practices, and a weak value chain where MSMEs operate in a disaggregated way. ORGANIC ECOSYSTEM project aims at reducing these obstacles and make the MSMEs operating in organic agriculture more competitive and better integrated.

The project intends to establish a cross-border agro-food ecosystem which will set the ground for the development of the Mediterranean whole organic sector. This will be encouraged through new business alliances, creation of innovative value chains, and specialized support provided to MSMEs to increase the quality and the commercialization of products and their capacities to access to new markets.

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Under the high-impact ENI CBC MED 2014-2020 cross-border cooperation program, InnoTomia acted as the strategic external . We were entrusted with a vital mandate for the "Organic Ecosystem" project (Boosting cross border Organic Ecosystem through enhancing agro-food alliance): to design, oversee, and execute the specialized Open Innovation Program dedicated to strengthening and scaling organic Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).  

To deliver on this complex objective, Innotomia mobilized its vast network of industry-leading experts and strategic sub-contractors—such as Green Technologies E.P.E.—to deploy cutting-edge environmental, methodological, and digital solutions.  

Our core contributions and operational tasks included:

• Orchestrating the Open Innovation Framework: We established and managed the structural framework for the Open Innovation Program, aligning public authorities, private entities, and cross-border agri-food alliances to empower local organic businesses.  
• Translating Corporate Needs into "Innovation Challenges": Through a highly analytical approach, our network mapped the precise real-world needs of participating organic companies, successfully translating their operational bottlenecks into concrete Innovation Challenges.  
• Custom "Innovation Proposals" for SMEs: For every participating SME, we oversaw the design of tailored, actionable Innovation Proposals, providing a clear roadmap for businesses to modernize their production and market presence.  
• Developing Digital Tools & Learning Materials: Innotomia supervised the creation of specialized training assets, educational methodologies, and custom digital tools designed specifically for expert business coaches and organic producers.  
• Coordinating Local Workshops & B2B Matchmaking: We coordinated local interactive workshops, facilitated weekly virtual mentoring sessions with SMEs, and bridged the gap between organic businesses and "Innovation Partners" to foster long-term commercial synergies.  
• High-Level Expert Collaboration: We facilitated direct integration between specialized technical teams, international project coordinators, and certified Organic Experts to deliver top-tier training and project reporting.  

🌿 Cultivating a Sustainable Cross-Border Alliance

Through our leadership of the Open Innovation Program, InnoTomia successfully turned laboratory and environmental expertise into practical business value for the Mediterranean organic sector. By leveraging an extended expert network, we provided organic SMEs with the digital tools, strategic partnerships, and innovation roadmaps required to thrive in a highly competitive global market.  

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