The Ministry of Economy and Planning, in collaboration with the Autonomous Region of Sardinia, announced Wesdnesday the launch of a call for standard projects under Interreg NEXT 'Mediterranean Sea Basin' ('NEXT MED') programme. The Autonomous Region of Sardinia is the Managing Authority of the programme for the 2021-2027 period. NEXT MED is the third generation of the largest cooperation initiatives funded by the European Union to enhance transnational cooperation in the Mediterranean area. Its target recipients - institutional actors - in Tunisia are public administrations, local communities, public companies, universities and research centres, competitiveness clusters, chambers of trade and industry, technical centres, civil society organisations and private sector entreprises. A budget of pound 103.6 million was earmarked for this first call for proposals. This is "a unique opportunity to fund transnational cooperation projects aimed to bring about positive transformations, contribute to collective pr ogress and encourage sustainable and inclusive development in the Mediterranean," the ministry said. The deadline for the submission for proposals is set for March 28, 2024. The programme is designed to finance projects of cooperation which meet common socio-economic, environment and governance challenges in the Mediterranean, such as the adoption of advanced technologies, the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises and job generation, energy efficiency, sustainable water management, adaptation to climate change, transition to circular economy, education and training, healthcare, etc. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse