2025-2028

    The MERAVIGLIA project responds to a context where access to employment is difficult for people with low or no qualifications, especially affecting young people, women, and long-term unemployed individuals. At the same time, environmental challenges such as pollution, territorial resilience, and quality of life are increasing and require local, sustainable, and innovative responses.

   Despite the potential of the ecological transition, there remains a skills gap in green jobs and entrepreneurship, slowing adaptation to changes in the labor market.

   In this context, MERAVIGLIA aims to turn the ecological transition into a lever for sustainable jobs by developing training pathways, support tools, and innovative mechanisms that foster acquisition of relevant skills. The project aims to strengthen employability of vulnerable groups while contributing to sustainable development in European territories.

   MERAVIGLIA builds on the work of the previous Interreg ENI CBC Med RESMYLE project, which focused on supporting Mediterranean youth, especially NEETs (Not in Employment, Education, or Training), toward entrepreneurship.

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    Project Information​:

    - Project name: Mediterranean Entrepreneurship's Real Added Values to Innovate and Green Local and Inner Areas

    - Acronym: MERAVIGLIA

    - Programme: Interreg NEXT MED

    - Duration: 36 months

    - Period: 09/08/2025 – 08/08/2028

    - Total budget: €2,494,000

   ​ - Geographic coverage: France, Italy, Turkey, Tunisia, Lebanon, Jordan

    General Objective

    To improve access to employment and sustainable development in the Mediterranean region by supporting the acquisition of green and entrepreneurial skills through innovative, local, and transnational training mechanisms.​

    Specific Objectives

    - Improve employability of vulnerable groups by developing environmental and entrepreneurial skills.

    - Promote micro-enterprise and self-entrepreneurship as tangible solutions to employment challenges and local ecological issues.

    - Design and test innovative training models combining local anchoring and transnational cooperation.

    - Build a Mediterranean ecosystem of training, mentoring, and innovation in the green economy field.

    Target Groups

    Expected Results

    - An innovative model of Third Places dedicated to environmental skills

    - 12 Third Places created or strengthened across partner territories

    - A virtual academy for green entrepreneurship

    - Transnational training pathways combining e-learning, mentoring, and practical activities

    - Four eco-entrepreneur residencies supporting intercultural learning

    - Policy recommendations to boost the project's impact and sustainability​

    Key Beneficiaries

    - 440 aspiring entrepreneurs supported through training and incubation

    - 150+ trainers, facilitators, and mentors strengthening their skills

    - Thousands of indirect beneficiaries through educational resources, methodology tools, and dissemination actions

    - Local authorities and NGOs benefiting from practical and replicable solutions​

    Approach & Methodology

    MERAVIGLIA is based on an integrated approach:

    - A strong territorial anchoring, grounded in socio-economic and environmental needs

    - Co-creation of actions with local stakeholders and communities

    - Transnational cooperation fostering best practice exchange, mobility, and intercultural mentoring

    - Capitalization and transferability of methods and tools across the Mediterranean region

    Project Partners

    The project brings together 8 partners from 6 countries with complementary expertise:

    Long-Term Impact

    MERAVIGLIA aims to contribute to:

    - Strengthened employability for vulnerable groups

    - Development of sustainable local economic activities

    - Reduced social and territorial inequalities

    - Support for public policies promoting employment and ecological transition

    - A more consolidated Mediterranean cooperation around skills and sustainable innovation

 
Conclusion

    MERAVIGLIA seeks to help build a more inclusive, greener, and resilient Mediterranean, making sustainable entrepreneurship a key driver of social and environmental transformation.

A project funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) as part of the Newton-Khalidi Fund Partnership in the UK.

Lead Researchers:

-University of Leeds, UK

-Faculty of Architecture and Design, Jordan University of Science and Technology

Project Partners:

-Nottingham Trent University, UK

-British Institute for the Study of Iraq (BISI)

- Department of Antiquities/Jordan

-The Jordan Museum

- Department of Design and Visual Communication, Jordan University of Science and Technology

-Local community associations in Umm Qais

-Relevant local private sector companies

Project Description

The project is a research collaboration between members of the local community in Umm Qais, and Jordanian and British academics and experts. It uses new and innovative digital methodologies to build and present a deeper understanding of the cultural heritage of the ancient city of Umm Qais.

Project Goals:

Capacity Building: Enhancing the skills of future generations to better understand and raise public awareness about heritage sites in general, and the Umm Qais site in particular.

Institutionalizing Partnerships: Establishing collaborative partnerships between local and international sectors to boost the tourism economy and support cultural heritage preservation efforts in Jordan.

Utilizing Modern Technologies: Using advanced technological tools such as 3D scanning, satellite imagery, digital survey techniques, video and photography to create a virtual heritage landscape of various architectural spaces and document the stories and heritage of Umm Qais.

Integrating University Outputs: Applying university research and educational outputs to serve the local sector, creating new job opportunities that meet the demands of both the local and global markets.​​