CITEK – standing for « Capitalization Initiative for the Innovation and Internationalization of the MED economic and knowledge system » – is a territorial cooperation project supporting innovation and competitiveness in the North Mediterranean area. It is financed by the European MED Programme, in the scope of the 2012 call for proposal on capitalization, and involves a consortium of 9 partners from 6 Member States of the European Union.

The project supports the implementation of a MED transnational and trans-local innovation system involving the following actors: the EU, national and regional governments, research centers, innovation drivers, associations of cooperatives and small and medium enterprises (SME). CITEK fosters the competitiveness of Mediterranean SMEs and cooperatives promoting a new public-private partnership. The project promotes innovation through the integration of internationalization strategies and a more open approach to knowledge transfer.

The CITEK consortium presents 3 main tools in order to support Mediterranean innovation:

• An Open data pilot system: a dedicated website with available datasets allowing actors to improve innovation projects development.                                                                                  
• An Observatory to foster innovation: an interactive map providing a complete overview of the regional innovation strategies in the Mediterranean area.
• An Action Plan for Social Economy Actors’ involvement in MED Smart Specialization Strategy: an analysis of the current situation of the social economy in Europe, which contains several proposals for the improvement and development of the sector in achieving future regional innovation strategies.