In the Mediterranean region, combating environmental degradation is not only our challenge, it is our opportunity. Our solutions are our power. 

The Green Impact MED project (GIMED) ensures positive investments for positive impacts. Boosting the development of eco-innovative ventures in five Mediterranean countries creates a cascade of positive and tangible impacts in the region, such as employment opportunities targeting young graduates and women. 

GIMED supports a community of 400 ideation-stage eco-entrepreneurs, including women and youth in senior positions of early-stage ventures in the green and circular economy; financial institutions and investors; public administrations; and Incubators and accelerators. 

Through the implementation of the United Nations-backed ‘Green Entrepreneurship Standard’, GIMED helps eco-entrepreneurs overcome the complexities of limited access to funding, underdeveloped markets and fragmented support from sector stakeholders. The focus of the programming, specifically aimed to support youth and women eco-entrepreneurs in early stage development, builds capacity at the ideation stage as a way to secure the investment needed to successfully launch an innovative product or service. GIMED actively collaborates with investors, public administrations and businesses to deliver to eco-entrepreneurs increased investment opportunities, business to business opportunities and support to protect Intellectual Property Rights. GIMED solutions create a win-win for all!

To reach our goals, GIMED  aims to: 

• Establish 20 new companies, employing a minimum of 2 people each
• Establish a cluster of financiers to work closely with public administrations to help better support green startups in terms of Intellectual Property Rights, policy and procurement schemes;
• Support 100 capacity building initiatives dedicated to entrepreneurs on eco-design and green business modelling;
• Provide 200 coaching sessions on access to finance and markets;
• Share 8 sub-grants to consolidate business creation and development;
• Host 10 networking events, such as Green Investment Roundtables, to connect entrepreneurs and investors and five training sessions dedicated to public institutions on the support to eco-entrepreneurship;
• Create and pilot a Green Entrepreneurship Standard Framework;
• Develop a green incubation programme in Lebanon; and
• Produce a policy paper containing recommendations to improve green and circular economy and support eco-innovative ventures.

MedWaves’s role: 

As the lead coordinator and implementer of GIMED, MedWaves manages the development capacity building workshops and coaching sessions. MedWaves will also coordinate the Green Entrepreneurship Standard Framework, the Green Investment Roundtables, the training for the finance institutions and the Policy Recommendations paper. 

MedWaves is fulfilling its Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) mandate in compliance with the UN Environment/MAP PoW to support Mediterranean countries fulfilling their commitment in promoting SCP in the region. It also supports the implementation of the SCP Action Plan for the Mediterranean adopted at the COP 19 by the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention.

MedWaves and the Switchers Support Programme & GIMED

The Switchers Support Programme and its digital platform www.theswitchers.org has been created by MedWaves and is supported by several organisations, including the EU-funded ENI CBC Med programme, through the GIMED project, to which MedWaves is the lead partner.

Through the GIMED project, MedWaves is able to improve its service offer, contributing to the smooth running of the program and the creation of the platform, and also to extend its area of action to many countries and regions, whether in north or south of the Mediterranean, thus reaching more and more entrepreneurs.