Date : April 5, 2025
📍 The Z hotel Sfax (Sfax)
As part of the NGS-4-ECOPROD project’s strategic vision for long-term impact and regional innovation, a high-level workshop entitled « Towards a Biotech Cluster in Sfax » was held on April 5, 2025, at the Centre of Biotechnology of Sfax (CBS).
This event brought together a diverse group of stakeholders from both national and international biotechnology ecosystems, including researchers, policy-makers, industry representatives, and innovation cluster managers.
Key Objectives

• To explore pathways for the development of a biotechnology cluster in the Sfax region
• To benefit from experiences and best practices in cluster creation and management from Tunisia and abroad
• To foster strategic partnerships across sectors (academia, research, industry, and policy)
• To align local capabilities with national and international biotech development strategies

Distinguished Guests and Contributions
The workshop featured valuable contributions from several cluster development experts, notably the participation of Dr. Nada Radaoui, whose expertise and insights into innovation ecosystems and cluster governance were particularly enriching.
International and local cluster representatives shared case studies, governance models, and collaborative frameworks that have been successfully implemented in other regions, offering inspiration and guidance for the emergence of a Sfax-based biotech innovation hub.
Outcomes and Next Steps

• Identification of key strategic pillars for cluster development: infrastructure, human capital, regulatory support, and private-public partnerships
• Consensus on the importance of multi-stakeholder coordination and continuous dialogue
• Recommendations for establishing a roadmap toward cluster formalization, to be further explored in future follow-up meetings and project actions (see also: Follow-up Meeting on June 30, 2025)

This workshop was organized under Work Package 4 (WP4): Dissemination, Exploitation, Communication, and Data Management, specifically aligned with Task 4.3 – Networking and Clustering Activity.
🤝 The event marked an important milestone in the collective ambition to position Sfax as a leading regional player in green and sustainable biotechnology.