Our story
Germ of Life is an innovative European initiative co-funded by the Interreg Euro-MED Programme, bringing together organisations from across the Mediterranean region to address the growing challenges of drought and climate change.
Launched in 2024, the project was initially developed by 10 partners from six countries: the University of Patras (Greece), Region of Western Greece (Greece), Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change (Italy), Lamoro Development Agency (Italy), Ubitel (Spain), Atos (France), Development and Infrastructure Company of Alqueva (Portugal), Junta de Andalucía (Spain), Dotsoft (Greece), and Infotrend Innovations (Cyprus).
The project has developed innovative digital solutions for drought risk monitoring and prediction, vulnerability assessment, and the identification of technological and nature-based solutions to support climate change adaptation and strengthen ecosystem resilience.
Building on the achievements of its initial Test Phase, Germ of Life has entered the Transfer Phase, expanding its partnership and geographical reach. This new stage welcomes new partners, including Ohrid Municipality (North Macedonia), I Borghi più Belli d’Italia (Italy), Universitat Rovira i Virgili – URV (Spain), and Kourion Municipality (Cyprus), bringing additional expertise and new territories into the project’s network.
The Transfer Phase focuses on transferring, adapting, and implementing the project’s validated tools and methodologies in additional Mediterranean territories, helping local and regional authorities improve drought risk management and strengthen their capacity to respond to climate-related challenges.
Through transnational cooperation, knowledge exchange, and capacity-building activities, Germ of Life aims to ensure that its solutions deliver lasting benefits to communities, institutions, and ecosystems throughout the Euro-Mediterranean region.
Partners
University of Patras
The partnership is led by the University of Patras (Greece), with researchers from its Laboratory of Atmospheric Physics, experts in Meteorology and Climatology. Prof. Athanassios A. Argiriou acts as Germ of Life Project Leader. He has participated and in many international and European mainly research projects as project manager and task coordinator. His research interests include climatology – homogenization, artificial intelligence methods applied to weather and environmental time series and to other meteorological data and energy meteorology.
Panagiota Saranti acts as a Germ of Life Project Manager. She is a Civil Engineer and she has worked on the management, scientific monitoring and technical implementation of the several international research projects about supply chain, intelligent transport systems, environmental protection and circular economy, climate change adaptation and mitigation and energy efficiency of public buildings.
Region of Western Greece
Region Of Western Greece is one of the partners. With notable experience in European innovation projects on climate change, environment and sustainability. The results of the proposed project are absolutely relevant to the Regional Development Program 2021 – 2025. The pillar of economic activity is its agriculture, and its data show the worrying decrease in rainfall, thus an increased risk of drought.
Fokion Zaimis, Vice Governor for Entrepreneurship Research and Innovation, explains in this video the region’s participation in Germ of Life, and his point of view on the project’s objectives. The results of the Germ of Life project cover all of the sectors green and blue investments, the circular economy, and adaptation to climate change.
Foundation Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change
From Italy, Foundation Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change (CMCC) is specialized in researching and creating models of climate change and its impacts on ecosystems and society, to provide rigorous results that allow establishing policies for sustainable growth, environmental protection, and adaptation to a changing climate.
In Germ of Life project, its researcher Manuela Balzarolo is the technological coordinator. She has specialized in the application of remote sensing to assess vegetation productivity, ecosystem functions and phenology. She is currently coordinating the ECOPROPHET project, that aims at improving simulations of ecosystem productivity by using new Earth Observation products from different platforms (e.g. ESA Sentinel 2).
LAMORO DEVELOPMENT AGENCY
Lamoro Development Agency, made up of town councils and other public organizations in the Italian region of Piedmont, in the northwest of said country. Its mission is to promote a sustainable economy through the synergy between local development policies and transnational projects. Since 1995, it has participated in numerous European territorial cooperation programs.
Sonia Abluton is your representative in Germ of Life. She has coordinated regional and European projects in line with the 2030 Agenda: environmental sustainability, gender equality, circular economy, valorisation of cultural and natural heritage, support for entrepreneurship. In Germ of Life project she will be involved in project management, implementation of the pilot action and coordination of WP3.
UBITEL
Ubitel, engineering and technology company, based in Seville (Spain), has extensive experience in organizing European innovation projects in areas such as digital health, social well-being, and the application of digital technologies to productive sectors or population segments. Juan Charneco, Ubitel’s CEO, is a Telecommunication Engineer. He has a wide experience working for public organizations combined with a strong career in his own innovative companies (Ubitel with more than 15 years and Ubitelcare, a start up).
Juan Charneco has a key role in Germ of life, having an important participation in the technical part of the Project, being the leader of the WP1. From Ubitel, Juan Charneco define, in collaboration with the rest of partners, the specifications of the 3 platforms that will be developed during the execution of the Germ of Life Project.
ATOS
Atos, a global leader in digital transformation, is committed to decarbonization and sustainable development through the use of artificial intelligence, data analytics, secure cloud computing and the Internet of Things (IoT). Atos Inno’Labs, dedicated to innovative, collaborative projects, are supporting Germ of Life through the expertise in hydrology, environment applications and smart decision-making models based on data and IoT platforms of its Montpellier (France) R&D team.
Amine Chemchem represents to Atos in Germ of Life. Data Scientist, PhD in Artificial Intelligence. Global Atos Senior Expert. Leader of the AI tribe in TS France. In 2020, Amine joined Atos Montpellier as an AI expert, where he is responsible for R&D and innovation projects within the data-driven intelligence division.
THE DEVELOPMENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMPANY OF ALQUEVA
In the Portuguese region of Alentejo, EDIA manages the system of 69 Alqueva dams and reservoirs, the largest strategic water reserve in Europe, with a total capacity of 4,150 million cubic meters. It will participate with pilot tests in a geographical area considered very vulnerable to desertification processes.
Luisa Pinto leads the EDIA team as Germ of Life. With a degree in Environmental Engineering and training in Water Resources Management, she is the Director of EDIA’s Environmental and Heritage Impacts Department (DIAP), focusing on Environmental Impact Assessment, Environmental and Heritage Monitoring on site and Post-Environmental Assessment. She coordinates and develops work in agri-environmental sustainability area.
JUNTA DE ANDALUCÍA – REDIAM
Junta de Andalucía, regional government, which through its Department of Sustainability, Environment and Blue Economy, regulates and manages alert situations and possible droughts. Andalusia, a territory affected by drought, has extensive experience in innovation projects to mitigate it. Its sensor network, Rediam (Andalusian Environmental Information Network), provides valuable data for the risk platform, in addition to the production and updating of numerous information on environmental issues.
Javier Villarreal leads his team at Germ of Life. Degree in Biological Sciences, worked at the Institute of Statistics and Cartography of Andalusia as a technical advisor and in the technical direction of projects developed using spatial databases.
DOTSOFT
Dotsoft, an ICT company that from Thessaloniki (Greece) develops and promotes software applications internationally using and integrating cutting-edge innovations, for open source solutions, electronic collaboration systems, multi-format data exchange, management of digital assets, among others. Miltiadis Anastasiadis, electronic control engineering, represents this company in Germ of Life.
He participates as senior researcher and technical manager on behalf of Dotsoft in all activities, but mainly in Vulnerability Assessment Tool. He will follow developments within the whole duration of the project and contribute to have successful outputs and useful for the pilot communities and MED in general.
INFOTREND INNOVATIONS
Company from Nicosia (Cyprus) with experience in the design and implementation of complex ICT for several European projects. Lelia Ataliani is Managing Director. IT professional with many years of experience in projects both EU and National ones for different market segments using AI technologies. National representative for ISO Working Group 4 for Cybersecurity (Security and controls).
The role of Infotrend in project entails the provision of cloud-based infrastructure to deploy the Germ of Life solutions. Design a system architecture and modelling of the system. Besides, collaborate in the development of the Vulnerability Assessment Tool and Innovation procurement platform. And lead the activity relevant to the carbon footprint monitoring and assessment.
Municipality of Ohrid
Ohrid Municipality is a local public authority with significant experience in the implementation of EU-funded projects related to sustainable development, environmental management, climate adaptation, green mobility and territorial cooperation. Through its participation in European projects and initiatives, the Municipality has strengthened its capacity in stakeholder engagement, local governance, environmental awareness and sustainable territorial planning.
The Municipality has participated in several projects relevant to the objectives of Germ of Life, including:
- WATERNET, focused on sustainable development and water-related challenges;
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SCBETBC, supporting entrepreneurship and cross-border cooperation between North Macedonia and Greece;
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IRC-HERMES, related to cultural heritage digitization;
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CROSS4ALL, focused on health and social care services;
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OHRID GO, promoting green mobility, CO# reduction, and sustainable tourism through environmentally friendly solutions.
These experiences provide Ohrid Municipality with practical know-how in sustainable territorial management, environmental governance, citizen engagement, and implementation of EU-funded actions relevant to climate resilience and environmental sustainability. Furthermore, Ohrid represents an important new receiver territory for the Germ of Life transfer phase due to its environmental sensitivity, increasing climate-related pressures and need for improved preventive approaches related to drought-risk management and environmental resilience. The Municipality’s experience in local stakeholder mobilization and sustainable development initiatives will support the territorial adaptation, dissemination and operational uptake of the Germ of Life solutions under a different Mediterranean governance and environmental context.
The most beautiful villages of Italy (BBI)
BBI is a new receiver partner in the Germ of Life project. For more than 20 years, BBI has been committed to promoting sustainable development in small and fascinating Italian cities. In more recent years BBI has undertaken territorial and international cooperation for the sustainability of internal areas and small towns, combining the valorisation of historical-cultural heritage, environment, economic and social development. As a national network of 382 Italian municipalities, BBI has thus gained strong experience in sustainability evaluation processes: members are evaluated during the admission process and for their permanence within the Association according to a quality charter which includes a detailed section regarding the quality of the environment and also greenery applied to small urban centres. BBI has a consolidated experience in managing citizens engagement processes, citizens science initiatives, adoption of NBS, climate changes adaptation and mitigation measures adoption, and urban regeneration processes.
Since its founding in 2001, BBI’s mission has been to promote the values of beauty, sustainability, and inclusivity in order to foster the regeneration of the network’s member municipalities, supporting the New European Bauhaus a full twenty years before its launch by the European Commission.
BBI is the lead partner of RealUrbanGreen project (Interreg Euro-MED) and partner of SuSTowns (Interreg MED), LOCAL4GREEN PLUS (Interreg Med), Greengage (Horizon Europe), SusTourTraining (Erasmus+) among others.
BBI is the founder & active member of the Association The Most Beautiful Villages in the World, a worldwide network that allows the global dissemination of project results.
Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) and IU-RESCAT
The Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV) is a public university located in Southern Catalonia (Tarragona, Spain). Founded in 1991, URV is consistently ranked among the top young universities globally and serves as a key driver of regional socioeconomic development, scientific progress, and cultural enrichment. With an international outlook, URV delivers high-quality education and cutting-edge research across arts and humanities, health, social sciences, sciences, and engineering, actively promoting innovation, knowledge transfer, and sustainable development. IU-RESCAT (Institut Universitari de Recerca en Sostenibilitat, Canvi Climàtic i Transició Energètica) is a specialized, multidisciplinary research institute belonging to the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV). Established to address pressing global and local environmental challenges, IU-RESCAT brings together researchers across various disciplines to generate scientific knowledge and actionable solutions in five core areas: climate change science, environmental and climate economics, environmental governance and climate justice, health and environmental risk assessment, and technological solutions for sustainability and ecological transition.
KOURION MUNICIPALITY
The Municipality of Kourion is located in the Limassol District of Cyprus and was established on 1 July 2024 through the local government reform. It comprises the municipal quarters of Ypsonas, Trachoni, Episkopi, Kolossi, Erimi, Asomatos, Akrotiri, Kantou, and Sotira, with a population of approximately 40,000 residents.
Named after the ancient Kingdom of Kourion, one of the most important city-states of ancient Cyprus, the municipality combines a rich cultural and archaeological heritage with a dynamic modern community. Its territory includes internationally renowned landmarks such as the Ancient Theatre of Kourion, the Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates, Kolossi Castle, and the environmentally significant Akrotiri Peninsula.
As the second-largest municipality in Cyprus by administrative area, Kourion is committed to sustainable development, environmental protection, cultural heritage preservation, digital transformation, tourism development, and citizen-centred public services. These strategic pillars guide the municipality’s efforts to enhance quality of life, strengthen climate resilience, support local economic growth, and promote innovation.
