- Both institutions have signed a collaboration agreement to drive the digitization of the Mediterranean’s chambers of commerce and improve the competitiveness, efficiency, and sustainability of the region’s businesses.
- The agreement will allow ASCAME to strengthen its position as a key player in the region’s innovation and digitization, and allow Leitat to gain greater visibility in the Mediterranean and be a strategic partner for the region’s companies.
ASCAME has signed a collaboration agreement with Leitat, a leading technological center at the state and European level, to advance the digital transformation of businesses in the Mediterranean region. The agreement was signed today in Barcelona in the presence of Anwar Zibaoui, General Coordinator of ASCAME, and Jordi Cabrafiga, CEO of Leitat.
The agreement has two well-defined objectives. Firstly, to drive the digitization of the Mediterranean’s chambers of commerce. This partnership will allow ASCAME members to access Leitat’s technological services and solutions, ranging from applied research to technical services and management of technological and innovation initiatives. Thanks to this agreement, the Mediterranean’s chambers of commerce will be able to improve their operational efficiency, the services they offer to companies, and their global competitiveness. Secondly, the institutions commit to promoting joint initiatives aligned with the digital transformation, sustainable development, and innovation of the region’s companies.
This is a strategic partnership for both institutions. ASCAME will strengthen its position as a key player in innovation and digitization in the Mediterranean region. According to Anwar Zibaoui, “we will work together to reinforce the role of the Mediterranean’s chambers of commerce as technology hubs for the region’s businesses”. Meanwhile, Leitat will gain greater visibility as a strategic partner in the region, with the opportunity to replicate the public-private models it has promoted both in Spain and the European Union.
Areas de Collaboration
The agreement establishes several areas of collaboration. One of the most important is the promotion of technological services to the Mediterranean’s chambers of commerce. This area includes awareness and training initiatives — organizing webinars, workshops, and events aimed at ASCAME members to explain the advantages and applications of digitization in their operations; personalized consulting to analyze the needs of each chamber of commerce and propose customized solutions; and the implementation of innovative technologies — applying digital tools, shared data platforms, and AI solutions to improve the competitiveness of the chambers and their businesses.
Another area of collaboration is related to the creation of innovation networks. The main challenge is to develop a Mediterranean innovation platform where the chambers can share best practices, tools, and success stories related to digitization. Furthermore, joint projects are to be developed within programs such as Horizon Europe or Compact Africa, focused on R&D, technological innovation, and promoting the green and blue economy.
The promotion of sustainability is another strategic pillar, as the Mediterranean’s chambers of commerce and the ASCAME partner companies will not only use digital technologies to improve their competitiveness but also to measure and reduce their carbon footprint. Indeed, the institutions commit to creating a Mediterranean observatory of corporate sustainability.
From the perspective of international projection and the improvement of business competitiveness, the agreement includes the design of digital tools to facilitate the access of the chambers of commerce and their companies to international markets, as well as the creation of training programs in digital skills for the member companies of the associated chambers.
