On May 21, 2025, Antonio Coppola, Coordinator of the NPP-SOL Project and representative of the Italian team, took part in the panel session “From Projects to Partnerships: A Mediterranean Dialogue on Land and Water Sustainability,” held at the Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Sassari (Italy) within the framework of the Sixth General Assembly of the SALAM-MED project.
The event was part of the SALAM-MED initiative, coordinated by the University of Sassari’s Desertification Research Center (NRD-UNISS), with the support of the PRIMA and NATMED programmes, and co-organized with the NextGen4MED initiative. The purpose was to provide a dynamic platform for exchanging ideas, sharing project outcomes and promoting cross-border scientific dialogue in the Mediterranean region.
The roundtable convened key actors from leading Mediterranean research and innovation initiatives to explore the role of collaborative projects in addressing regional challenges. Discussions were structured around three interrelated themes.
- From research to impact: highlighted efforts to transform scientific results into concrete benefits, both environmental and socio-economic. Emphasis was also given on the influence of co-design (“living lab”) approaches on research and outcomes.
- Looking ahead: an engaging session focused on the top priorities for sustainable land and water management in the Mediterranean region, in line with the PRIMA Strategic Research and Innovation and Agenda (2018–2028).
- The role of young researchers and science diplomacy: emphasizing the critical role of young researchers – within PRIMA and Horizon Europe – as innovators, facilitators, and communicators in transdisciplinary collaboration and science diplomacy, bridging different disciplines, sectors, and knowledge flows across borders.
Antonio Coppola’s (NPP-SOL project coordinator), contributed to the exchange by highlighting the importance of collaborative partnerships in promoting sustainable land and water management.
His intervention, based on the outcomes of NPP-SOL Project, reinforced the relevance of joint efforts in addressing shared environmental challenges, such as the prevention of surface and ground-water bodies pollution from agricultural non-point source.
The event reaffirmed the value of collective action and scientific knowledge exchange in building a more resilient and sustainable Mediterranean future.