MEDITERRANEAN ACADEMY FOR ENERGY & SUSTAINABILITY
FOUNDATION
Mission
The “Mediterranean Academy for Energy and Sustainability” Foundation is a non-profit legal entity that promotes cooperation and research in the energy sector across the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East, and Africa). The Foundation brings together universities, research centers, businesses, and institutions to foster sustainable energy transition, develop human, institutional, and industrial skills, and support the socio-economic progress of the Mediterranean area, with particular focus on the energy-water-food nexus.
Objectives
The Mediterranean Academy for Energy and Sustainability aims to promote energy as a foundational element and instrumental right for the sustainable development and growth of Euro-Mediterranean communities and countries. The Academy pursues its objectives through strategic collaborations and the creation of new partnership models, with the intent to:
- Enhance international cooperation (science diplomacy) between universities, research institutions, businesses, and the financial sector for the advancement of culture, education, and research in the energy field within the Euro-Mediterranean region.
- Integrate energy systems sustainably in the target countries by promoting network interoperability, smart technology usage, the development of renewable energy sources, and eco-friendly energy carriers, in line with European taxonomy.
- Improve human capital education by fostering the training of a new leadership class and the development of expertise in energy, innovative technologies, and sustainability.
- Ensure fair and sustainable access to energy by combating energy poverty and promoting energy efficiency and the smart use of natural resources, including marine and terrestrial ones.
- Promote and innovate international research and study on energy, digital, and environmental regulation and law, encouraging collaboration among Mediterranean scholars and harmonizing regulatory frameworks to integrate energy markets in the Mediterranean region.
- Support the reduction of climate-altering emissions and the achievement of European climate goals.
- Promote the intelligent and sustainable development of cities and integrated mobility systems, encouraging innovative solutions.
- Support initiatives aimed at improving public health, ensuring access to essential goods and services such as energy, food, and water.
- Promote the circular economy as a model for sustainable development.
- Participate in recognized and unrecognized foundations and associations to contribute to common objectives.
Activities
The “Mediterranean Academy for Energy and Sustainability” Foundation carries out its activities through a coordinated and consistent approach, working closely with universities, research institutions, businesses, and public and private organizations. Its actions include a wide range of initiatives aimed at promoting energy transition in Mediterranean countries. Among the main initiatives are:
- Educational programs: The Foundation promotes undergraduate, master’s, doctoral, and executive education programs for senior government officials, policymakers, financial institutions, and investors, aimed at professional development in emerging technologies for energy transition. These activities may generate academic credits at the involved universities, facilitating participants’ entry into the energy and sustainability sectors.
- International mobility: The Foundation promotes and supports the mobility of students, researchers, professors, and technicians in the target countries, facilitating the exchange of skills and knowledge among Mediterranean and international institutions through specific cooperation agreements.
- Scientific assistance in energy policy-making: The Foundation provides scientific consulting, with a focus on supporting the Italian government and national companies. Assistance includes the development of data analyses, models, and assessments on energy issues with financial and geopolitical implications, formalized in scientific reports that inform policy decisions.
- Research, development, and technological innovation: In collaboration with universities and energy companies, the Foundation promotes experimental and applied research projects, identifying and classifying available technologies and assessing their technological readiness level (TRL). This process includes techno-economic analyses of investments and the identification of potential funding sources to facilitate the adoption of innovative solutions in Mediterranean countries.
- Multi-actor training and simulation: The Foundation organizes training activities that use virtual environments to simulate specific energy scenarios, replicating real conditions. These simulations allow public and private actors to gain operational skills and awareness of the challenges of the energy transition.
- Support for the energy transition: Through its actions, the Foundation contributes to building a shared cultural base for the development and integration of the regional energy system, by defining common criteria for access to and use of electrical and energy infrastructures. It also supports the creation of hybrid energy corridors and integrated energy-transport systems.
- Development of smart cities and systems: The Foundation promotes the development of megacities, smart cities, and sustainable urban-rural continuums through projects related to digital transformation, artificial intelligence use, energy districts, smart grids, and the electrification of transport systems.
- Energy trend monitoring and analysis: The Foundation carries out initiatives to monitor energy trends in the Mediterranean region, creating databases to support market operators and improve awareness of the geopolitical and economic impacts of the energy transition.
- Support for SMEs and start-ups: The Foundation promotes the incubation and development of small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups in the energy sector, offering technical assistance, scientific consulting, and funding opportunities to support innovation and sustainable development.
- Support for Members: The Foundation provides support to its Members by offering fundraising services, project partner searches, technical assistance, and promotion of international initiatives.
- Promotion of energy culture and sustainability: The Foundation organizes events, seminars, and conferences aimed at spreading the culture of energy and sustainability, promoting dissemination activities, and publishing studies and informational materials through the World Wide Web and social networks.
Headquarters
Accademia Mediterranea per l’Energia e la SostenibilitĂ
c/o Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico IIDipartimento di Ingegneria IndustrialePiazzale Tecchio, 80 – 80125 Napoli
Contacts
Headquarters – Prof. Domenico Villacci
Tel. + 39 3394606446
Email: direzione@consorzioensiel.it
Technical secretariat
Tel. + 39 3298622874
Email: segreteriatecnica@consorzioensiel.it