MEDRESSA

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MEDRESSA

• PROMOTING BUSINESS
• CO-OPERATION BETWEEN
• EUROPE
• AND
• THE SOUTH MEDITERRANEAN COUNTRIES
• ... in the Information Technology Domain
• Hashem Hashem
• IntelliSoft Lebanon

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MEDRESSAII-The History

• Funded in 1998 by the European Commission
  Directorate General Information Society
  IST-1999-29058, as a Specific project called
  Medressa.
• Objectives to provide access for European SMEs
  in the IT domain to emerging markets in the South
  Mediterranean Countries(SMC).
• First event in Cairo 1998
• Now covering Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan,
  Lebanon, Syria and Cyprus
• 36 partnership events since 1998.
• Over 150 European organisations presented their
  products and technologies to a total audience of
  over 1700.
• Ended on 2004

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The Medressa II Partners
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Goals

• Bring Europe and the South Med Region closer
  together
• Help the business (Small and Medium Size
  Enterprises) and research community to establish
  personal contacts (In the field of IT)
• Identify Demand and Offer
• Learn about and from each other

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Why?

• We are all part of the Euro-Mediterranean
  Partnership (Barcelona 95)
• Political
• Cultural
• Business
• We all need stability, not enforced but
  sustainable, based on co-operation
• This requires a certain level of prosperity which
  can only come through business
• Build bridges instead of building walls.

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The Medressa Topics
Advanced Software Applications
Cairo, Tunis, Damascus
Cultural Heritage Preservation
Cairo, Amman
E-Business and E-Commerce
Nicosia, Cairo, Amman,
Damascus
E-Government
Cairo,
Rabat
E-Learning
Aleppo, Marakkesh,
Nicosia, Beirut,
Tunis
Electronic Document Management
Beirut
E-Procurement
Amman
IT for Environmental Applications
Amman
IT for Promoting Textile
Cairo, Aleppo
IT for Promoting Tourism
Cairo
IT for the Textile Industry
Cairo, Aleppo, Tunis, Amman,
Casablanca
IT for Tourism
Beirut, Tunis
IT in Factory Management
Damascus
IT in Healthcare
Beirut,
Amman
IT in Transport
Tunis
IT in Water Management
Amman
Multimedia and Internet Development
Casablanca
Rapid Prototyping Techniques in Automation
Nicosia
and Medicine
Planned events are in
italics
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The IT-NETWORK

• www.MEDRESSA.com
• Repository of all product presentations from the
  Partnership Events
• Contact data of all EU companies who participated
• Contact data of the Med Participants
• Company profiles and product descriptions from
  any member

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The IT-NETWORK
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RESULTS

• 36 Partnership Events until end of 2004
• Over 150 European organisations presented their
  products and technologies to a total audience of
  over 1700.
• . . . . . . .

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Medressa Association

• Founded in 2005, Registered in France
• Continuation of Medressa Project Mission and
  Objectives.
• Extension of the Southern Mediterranean Countries
  (SMC) to cover the Gulf Countries, (besides the
  traditional countries)
• Companies who develop Technology in SMC can now
  look for market in Europe
• Was unable to start efficiently last year (due to
  security problems)
• Will be launched during GITEX 2007

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Objectives

• Trigger new partnerships (MED - EU), for business
  co-operation
• Implement this through Partnership Events in
  South Med Countries and Europe
• Run Technology Awareness Meetings with companies
  and associations in the South Med Countries
• Provide Europeans with focused analyses of local
  South Med markets and business opportunities

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The European View

• Share Existing Products or Developments
• Broaden the scope of their applicability
• Direct Exploitation of new markets
• Prepare for the Future
• Take into account the requirements of SMCs
• Identify appropriate partners in SMCs
• Pave the way for New Partnerships

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The SMCs View

• Benefit from existing technology
• Adapt and Utilise existing products and
  technology
• Take advantage of the know-how
• Need Exposure in EU SMC markets
• Participate in the RD Process
• Take into account SMCs needs at an early stage
• Establish strong relationship with the European
  RD community

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The Problems

• On the SMC Side
• lack of knowledge of what is available
• lack of experience in certain technological areas
• small or missing IT Company base
• On the European Side
• lack of general knowledge about SMCs
• difficulties in finding business partners

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Roles

• What Medressa can do
• It can bring people together
• It can provide contact points in the countries
• It cannot provide a long term follow-up but
  provide assistance where required
• What you can do
• Follow up the contacts
• Define concrete next step
• Aim at a business view, dont just look for
  funding

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Technology Transfer Model
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METHODOLOGY HOW?

• Bring people together
• Provide contact points in the countries
• Provide assistance where required

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THE PROCESS

• The Brokerage and Partnership Events
• Companies will be invited to join these events to
• present their products / developments
• meet business partners, both for marketing and
  joint development
• Country Information
• Short reports on the local economy
• Specific reports on the selected sector
• Contact points in the countries

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THE PROCESS
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IT NETWORKING MODEL

• Partnership Events are not the only way to find
  Business and Research Partners
• We need a continuos meeting place to maintain
  and establish contacts
• And since we are living in the Information
  Society, this can only be a virtual meeting place
  on the Internet
• The Medressa IT-Network

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IT NETWORKING MODEL

• The WEB Information Base
• A repository of all products presentations from
  the Partnership Events
• Contact data of all EU companies who participated
• Contact data of the Med Participants
• Country and sector reports
• Partnership / Technology requests from both sides
  at any time

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The IT-NETWORK

• www.MEDRESSA.com
• Company profiles and product descriptions from
  any member
• To profit from this network model,
• PARTICIPATING IS ESSENTIAL !

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Thank You
...and the truth is the process itself E. Kant