Building an innovation portal to align research and innovation by promoting synergies among the Nexus.
The main outcome of WP4 will be the WEcoF innovation portal: an online platform that builds on existing national platforms and aligns research and innovation to enhance synergies among the three main sectors of the Nexus in the targeted countries.
The Platform will provide innovative resources that address synergies among dynamic industries and equip stakeholders with needed skills (SIGMA Nexus Knowledge Hub).
Moreover, building on existing national platforms, the project will apply a value chain approach to identify the innovation needs in the Water-Ecosystems-Food Nexus. To ensure the stakeholders engagement the identification of the innovation needs, the portal will host an enterprise social network service (SIGMA Nexus Innovation Club) to promote communication on the Nexus and discussion on innovations in the three sectors.
Finally, the pilot studies in Egypt and Greece will be used as a baseline knowledge in the WEcoF innovation portal to map the water and food components of the Nexus, integrate them with the ecosystems component and identify synergies among the three sectors (SIGMA Nexus Game). The game simulation methodology aims at providing policy makers and stakeholders with a better visualization and understanding of the respective impact of their policies across spatial and temporal dimensions, leading towards a better understanding of the Nexus methodology and the means to streamline national investments decisions.