The project aims at providing a renewed vision for socio-economic development in the south Mediterranean countries, mainly focusing on employment creation, social inclusion, and sustainable development. Over a three-year period, the grant has supported new research activities (at least thirty studies and surveys), dissemination through the organization of annual conferences and workshop meetings to bring together leading researchers, policy makers and representatives of the civil society to discuss and debate optimal policies for the future of their region. Most of the research activities were conducted by a younger generation of researchers, experts in their fields, capable of designing sound and innovative socio-economic policies and providing policy makers with clear road maps to bring new ideas for more inclusive and sustainable development and growth models that create employment and enhance social inclusion, especially among the youth.

To respond to this new vision, it was planed to organize the research activities around the following axes:
- The institutional reforms and their sequencing required to improve the economic and political governance, a precondition for creating a healthy investment environment for both domestic and foreign investors.
- The development of micro, small and medium enterprises, through identifying the constraints they face and the optimal policies to help them access international markets.
- Enhancing human capital development through education, training and improvement of health care, especially for women and under-developed areas.
- The design of sound macroeconomic policies aiming at socio­ economic prosperity in the Mediterranean and particularly designed to foster employment creation.
- Developing a regional financial market that intermediates savings into investment efficiently and safely, including the implementation of the appropriate reforms to the existing financial sector in each country.
- Economic liberalization, including the agriculture and services sectors, consistent with the negotiations for a free-trade area with the EU.

• Funding authority: Europäische Union - Forschungsförderung

• Duration of the project: 01.03.2015 - 31.10.2019

• Scientific coordination: Prof. Dr. Cilja Harders

• Project partners: Cairo University, Egypt