GreenSET program
MUNICIPALITY PUKE
June 1, 2023
ENTERPRISE EUROPE NETWORK EUROPEAN (EEN)
October 7, 2025GreenSET is an Interreg Euro-MED funded project supporting the circular transformation of Mediterranean tourism. It equips Business Support Organisations (BSOs) with tools, training, and the MEDSSIM methodology to help SMEs adopt sustainable, competitive practices.
What is MEDSSIM in simple terms?
MEDSSIM, which stands for MED Sustainable Service Innovation Methodology, is a step-by-step method designed to support small and medium-sized tourism businesses (SMEs) in the Mediterranean region. It helps these businesses use resources more efficiently, reduce waste, and offer more environmentally friendly services. At the same time, MEDSSIM encourages innovation and enhances competitiveness. In simpler terms, it serves as both a toolkit and a training program that guides tourism businesses toward becoming more sustainable while also improving their operations and market performance.
Key outputs include a competence pack, best practices library, and expert certification scheme. GreenSET fosters collaboration across borders to embed circular economy principles in tourism, ensuring long-term impact, improved resource use, and greater resilience for SMEs across the Mediterranean region.
FOCUC
- The GreenSET project directly addresses a core challenge of the programme area—the urgent need for systemic and scalable support to drive circular transformation within the Mediterranean tourism sector. This sector, dominated by SMEs, struggles to adopt sustainable, circular practices due to limited innovation capacity and support infrastructure.
- GreenSET’s focus aligns with the programme’s priority of fostering environmental sustainability through innovation by creating and testing a comprehensive framework that empowers Business Support Organisations (BSOs) to guide tourism SMEs in embedding circular economy principles.
- By developing standardized methodologies, capacity-building tools, best practice libraries, and certification schemes, the project promotes a lasting shift towards resource-efficient, resilient, and environmentally responsible tourism business models across the region. Its transnational approach leverages shared challenges and diverse cultural contexts, ensuring that circular transformation is not only initiated but sustained and scaled, thus contributing meaningfully to the programme’s overarching goal of advancing a green, competitive, and innovative Mediterranean economy.
Our story
The GreenSET partnership brings together nine partners from nine different countries—Croatia, France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Portugal, Albania, and Montenegro—each representing diverse fields and areas of expertise, united by a common mission:
Leading the circular transformation of Mediterranean tourism.
WHO WE ARE
Organisation Description
Nicosia Tourism Board (NTB), is a non-profit Company, established in November 2007 within the framework of the Cyprus Tourism Organisation Strategic Plan. The main objective of NTB is to develop and promote Nicosia as a tourist destination. The company’s primary strategic plan focuses on four main areas: Cultural and Religious Tourism, Conferences & Incentives Tourism, Business Tourism and Sports tourism. The President of the Board is Mr Theodoros Kringou. The Board has representatives from the Municipalities and Communities of Nicosia, the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, ACTA, ACTE and Cyprus Hotel Association.
Organisation Description
Sinloc S.p.A. is a consulting company that promotes local development mostly through the implementation of infrastructures, with technical assistance activities, feasibility studies and investments in Public-Private Partnership projects all over Italy and Europe. It supports local institutions, companies and non-profit entities in setting up impact-oriented projects. It focuses on 8 areas of activity: energy transition, urban regeneration, mobility and logistics, networks and public utilities, healthcare and welfare, education and research, art and tourism and food and health. It works guaranteeing direct responsibility towards its investors and communities of reference, consistently with the seventeen UN’s SDGs.
Organisation Description
The Tirana Regional Development Agency (RDA), founded in 1993, dedicated to fostering economic growth and SMEs in Albania by collaborating with businesses, donors, and government entities. It serves as a cross-sector resource centre offering business consultancy by aiding over 400 SMEs with planning and investment strategies; market research, assessing various sectors, products, and services to guide decisions; and training programs, enhancing entrepreneurship and sustainability, including in tourism. Additionally, it fosters networking and partnerships, coordinating with agencies across Albania to promote collaboration and knowledge exchange. The RDA plays a vital role in capacity-building and pioneering new methodologies for sustainable business development.
Organisation Description
STEP RI, founded by the University of Rijeka in 2008, is a leading Croatian center for innovation and business development. It supports startups, SMEs, researchers, and institutions in turning ideas into sustainable, competitive ventures. With expertise in innovation management, design thinking, digital transformation, and access to finance, STEP RI guides clients from early ideation to market entry and growth. Bridging academia and business, it has led or partnered in over 50 national and international projects and actively contributes to European programs such as the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH), and the Proof of Concept (PoC) program.
Organisation Description
TERTÚLIA ALGARVIA, an NGO founded in 2006, focuses on promoting and enhancing traditional food and the Mediterranean diet. Since 2012, it has engaged in various national and EU projects related to gastronomy, food, culinary-wine, creative and sustainable tourism. A key initiative related with GreenSET project was the NO Algarbage project which supported zero waste in tourism. This project developed best practices for reducing food waste in the tourism industry, carried out pilot actions and implemented a food waste reduction strategy. Another project, ALGARVE CRAFT&FOOD supported micro and small companies, such as agri-food producers, in developing Cultural, Creative and Sustainable Tourism Experience Programs through Creation Labs, Training Actions, and also working sessions with tour operators.
Organisation Description
R2M stands for Research to Market. R2M Solution France is an agile, innovation-driven SME dedicated since 2016 to accelerating the uptake of cutting-edge solutions in sustainability, digitalisation, and the circular economy. With active participation in over 40 EU-funded projects, R2M brings solid expertise in the exploitation of results, market uptake, piloting, and life cycle assessment (LCA). In the GREENSET project, R2M France leads the piloting of the MEDSSIM methodology, ensuring that project innovations are effectively transferred to the market through targeted training for Business Support Organisations and SMEs.
Organisation Description
The Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas (FORTH), established in 1983, is Greece’s largest public research center, known for its cutting-edge facilities and expert personnel. FORTH leads interdisciplinary research in fields such as photonics, nanotechnology, biotechnology, computer science, precision medicine, energy, and social sciences, with a strong focus on societal and economic impact. In 1993, FORTH established the Science and Technology Park of Crete (STEP-C) to foster innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology transfer. STEP-C hosts start-ups in a 4,000 sq.m. space and actively supports intellectual property management and regional development. It collaborates closely with regional authorities and is a founding member of both the Greek and European EURAXESS Network and the IASP. Together, FORTH and STEP-C have significant expertise in areas central to this project, including sustainability, circular economy, lean methodologies, and digitalization, having participated in over 100 related projects, contributing to both research excellence and SME development.
Organisation Description
CEEI Valencia is a pioneering innovation center supporting entrepreneurship and business transformation. With over 34 years of experience, it has guided more than 9,000 individuals and contributed to the creation of over 1,500 companies. As the longest-standing innovation hub in Valencia, CEEI provides startups, entrepreneurs, and SMEs with expert advisory and incubation services to foster innovation and sustainable growth. It operates in coordination with other CEEIs in the Valencian Community, ANCES, SEIMED, and leading innovation networks, offering tailored tools and support for emerging business projects.
Organisation Description
The Business Start-Up Center (BSC) Bar is a foundation established in 2007 with the mission to foster economic growth in Bar, Montenegro, by supporting the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). BSC Bar achieves this through a variety of initiatives, including supporting education systems, reducing business barriers, and providing access to finance for start-ups. BSC Bar manages incubator with the aim to support the development of start-up businesses in the municipality of Bar and has been involved in over 60 national and international projects . Since 2008 BSC Bar as member has been contributing to the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN )