The Euro-Mediterranean Innovation Camp (EMIC) has completed it´s penultimate stage before the finale! EMIC held its last elimination phase on the morning of Friday 17 May online, during which candidates presented their accomplishments so far; their current status regarding proof of concept, testing and implementation; and a description of any tests that have been conducted, including methods and outcomes.
The Euro-Mediterranean University (EMUNI) University, Jožef Stefan Institute (JSI) and the Euromed University of Fes (UEMF) are partners in this exciting competition for Mediterranean youth aged 18-35, which is supported by the Republic of Slovenia Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, and the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), with the Agricultural University of Athens (AUA) and Inkubator Sežana as special Season 2 supporters. EMIC 2 began accepting applications in September 2023, for which applicants were asked to describe a novel idea or invention addressing either Health, Renewable Energy or the Environment and Climate Change.
Above: The innovators, hosted by EMUNI University, getting ready for the semi-final elimination phase
Above: the candidates join EMUNI´s EMIC organisers online
The Jury consisted of:
- Dr Maja Boric Vezjak has a Bachelor as well as a PhD degree in microbiology, both obtained at the Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana. Soon after defending her PhD thesis she joined the Patentni biro AF d.o.o. team and passed the patent attorney exam at the Slovenian Intellectual Property Office in 2014, enabling her to be a Slovenian patent attorney and a Slovenian and European trademark and design attorney. In 2018 she passed the European qualifying examination (EQE), hence she can also represent clients before the European Patent Office (EPO). She is mostly engaged with drafting patent applications, state of the art analysis, prosecution of European patent
applications, oppositions to trademark applications and patents, as well as translations of patent-related documents. She is a member of the Association of Slovenian Patent Attorneys and the European Patent Institute (EPI). - Robert Blatnik is an expert in technology management and spin-off companies at the Center for Transfer of Technologies and Innovations at the Jožef Stefan Institute. He received his masters degree in the field of new media and e-science at the Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, having graduated from the Faculty of Organizational Sciences of the University of Maribor. He also studied in the EDP programme at the MIT Sloan School of Management in the USA. He holds a recognised Certified Licensing Professional (CLP) license.
- Karen Gladović from Slovenia is a trademark and design agent and the Head of the Education Department at the Euro-Mediterranean University (EMUNI). She holds a degree in Law from the University of Ljubljana and is a PhD candidate in Management at the University of Primorska, where she is also a lecturer in the Department of Law. She was a member of thespecial task force at the Ministry of Finance, General Financial Office, which dealt with and implemented the most demanding measures to enforce tax debt in tax court proceedings. Her research is in the area of Corporate Governance, Intellectual Property rights and Technology Transfer. She is engaged in Science Policy Dialogue in the Euro-Mediterranean region, particularly in the areas of Science and Higher Education, Research and Innovation Cooperation.
Above: the candidates, with their mentors, and the jury members
With the innovators´ mentors also attending to provide support for their candidates, the jury decided to eliminate one candidate: 26 year-old Khaier Eddine Bourguiba from the Virtual University of Tunis in Tunisia, whose specialisation is in Environment and Climate Change. On behalf of the whole EMIC team, EMUNI wishes Khaier Eddine every success in the future!
The five remaining candidates will now proceed through to the EMIC Finale, which takes place on 7 June online. Those focusing on Health are Rahma M. Tolba, a 35-year-old PhD researcher at the Faculty of Computer and Information Sciences, Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt; Med Aziz Mhalla, a 23-year-old third-year electronics engineering student at the National Engineering School of Sousse in Tunisia; and Muhammad Mounir, a 22-year-old senior at Galala University from Cairo in Egypt. Isak Missini, a 22-year-old third-year undergraduate student of International Relations and Diplomacy at The University American College Skopje in North Macedonia and 27-year-old PhD student from Baraki, Algeria, Majda Mouaici will also be joining them, focusing on Renewable Energy and Environment and Climate Change respectively.
From 3-4 June, the finalists will receive pitch training in Ljubljana at JSI with Robert Blatnik to prepare them for the Finale.
Stay tuned for the final details of the Grand Finale!
