Research and Innovation are pivotal in the Government’s vision towards addressing challenges pertaining specifically to Malta. Due to the importance of the energy and water sectors, the Energy and Water Agency within the Ministry for Energy and Water Management has launched the National Strategy for Research and Innovation specifically for these sectors.
During the launch of the national strategy, Minister for Energy and Water Management Michael Farrugia explained how great improvements in efficiency have been done in the past years and it is crucial that this work is continued, and this strategy will further consolidate this. “Research is an essential tool to build future-proof industry whilst helping out enterprises to develop new products and services that will contribute to the sector’s competitiveness,” remarked Minister Farrugia.
The main aims of this strategy are to support industry and academia to carry out R&I activities having a tangible impact, and to strengthen cooperation and coordination between stakeholders in these sectors. The latter is one of the most important elements of the strategy and for this reason, a platform entitled RINEW (Research and Innovation in Energy and Water) will be launched shortly to bring together these contributors.
The Energy and Water Agency has worked in collaboration with MCST (Malta Council for Science and Technology) to develop this strategy, to identify areas that other existing strategies do not currently include.
Minister Farrugia explained how this national strategy will strengthen what has already been done and promote new ideas to create new investments and increase competitiveness locally.
The areas that this strategy will focus on in the next ten years are broad, and include efficient solutions in energy and water, desalination and water treatment process and renewable solutions for islands.
During the first year, half a million euro will be allocated to encourage R&I activities in these areas, and later on in the year the projects that will make use of these funds will be chosen through a specific scheme.
The strategy can be found online here.