Ptolemaida, Greece – November 12, 2025. The Centers of Excellence for Resilient Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Solutions (CERES) project, co-funded by the European Union under the Interreg NEXT MED Programme, was officially launched during its Kick-off Meeting held on November 11–12, 2025, at the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH) facilities in Ptolemaida, Greece.
The two-day event gathered representatives from all six project partners across four countries (Greece, Spain, Lebanon, and Palestine) to coordinate the first steps of implementation, review the work plan, and align on the project’s strategic objectives and pilot activities. Sessions included plenary discussions, thematic workshops, and study visits to PPC Renewables projects and CERTH’s Hydrogen Hub under construction in AEVAL.
Empowering MSMEs through sustainable innovation
With a total budget of €2,497,800, of which €2,223,042 (89%) is co-funded by the European Union, CERES will run for 36 months and aims to enhance sustainable growth, competitiveness, and job creation among Mediterranean micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
To achieve this, the project will establish Centers of Excellence (CoEs) in Greece, Palestine, and Lebanon, acting as innovation and training hubs that foster entrepreneurship, deliver advanced technical training, and promote collaboration between research institutions, MSMEs, and local communities.
Through interdisciplinary training, mentoring, and the creation of Living Labs, the CoEs will promote green and digital transition technologies, enabling participants to co-develop affordable, resilient, and replicable solar-based solutions for energy access, water management, and productive uses.
Pilot projects across the Mediterranean
The project will implement 10 pilot projects demonstrating innovative solar-driven applications that improve energy resilience and sustainability:
- Greece (3 pilots): solar shadow stations for e-mobility charging, lighting, and equipment powering.
- Lebanon (5 pilots): solar stations for potable water supply, ice storage, aesthetic kiosks, and public lighting.
- Palestine (2 pilots): solar PV systems for EV charging and wastewater treatment supporting agriculture and SMEs.
All pilots will integrate open-source digital supervision and control systems, enabling real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and scalability across Mediterranean contexts.
A transnational partnership for resilient entrepreneurship
CERES brings together a balanced consortium of research, academic, industrial, and non-profit organisations:
- Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH) – Lead Partner, Greece
- An-Najah National University – Palestine
- Entrepreneurship Support Foundation (JOIN4CS) – Greece
- SOLARTYS – Spain
- The Lebanese Solar Energy Society (LSES) – Lebanon
- Trama TecnoAmbiental (TTA) – Spain
By connecting these organizations through a shared collaborative platform, CERES will strengthen cross-border cooperation, innovation capacity, and sustainability-oriented entrepreneurship across the Mediterranean.
About CERES
CERES directly contributes to the Interreg NEXT MED Programme’s specific objective RSO1.3 – Enhancing sustainable growth and competitiveness of SMEs and job creation in SMEs, by promoting new business models, training programmes, and technology transfer mechanisms that accelerate the green and digital transition of Mediterranean economies.
For more information:
- Project webpage: https://www.interregnextmed.eu/project-page/ceres/about/
Project coordination: Nikolaos Margaritis – n.margaritis@certh.gr
