From 4 to 6 March 2026, the MONALISA Project took part in the WEFE Nexus Solutions & Tools Workshop held in Chania, Crete, at the Center for Mediterranean Architecture. The workshop was organized within the framework of the EcoFuture PRIMA Project and aimed to bring together experts and practitioners to explore innovative solutions and practical tools for the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem (WEFE) Nexus. According to the official event information, one of the workshop’s main goals was also to help prepare a policy brief for the operationalization and scaling up of the WEFE Nexus across projects and regions.
The event provided an important opportunity for MONALISA to share its work with a diverse audience of researchers, institutions, and stakeholders engaged in WEFE-related challenges across the Mediterranean. The official agenda shows that the workshop featured contributions from PRIMA, Horizon, and Interreg projects, alongside sessions dedicated to tools, stakeholder engagement approaches, and demonstration pilots.
On behalf of the MONALISA consortium, WeWorld took part in the event in person through Anna Crescenti, who delivered a presentation offering a full overview of the project. The session introduced MONALISA’s objectives, activities, and contribution to advancing innovative and sustainable WEFE Nexus solutions in the Mediterranean area. As part of the MONALISA contribution, the project overview video was also shown before the main presentation and case study sessions. This helped position MONALISA within the broader discussion on practical, place-based solutions for sustainability, resilience, and resource management in the Mediterranean.
A key part of the MONALISA contribution focused on its case studies. During the workshop, Afroditi Kardamaki presented the work carried out in the Asterousia Case Study on site in Crete. The Palestine Case Study was presented online by Aqeel Aqeel. MONALISA ensured strong participation and continuity, demonstrating the consortium’s commitment to sharing knowledge and maintaining collaboration across borders.
MONALISA’s presence at the workshop was especially relevant because the event focused not only on scientific results, but also on how project knowledge can support decision-making, policy uptake, and practical implementation. This aligns closely with MONALISA’s ambition to contribute actionable, locally grounded solutions to complex environmental challenges through collaboration, innovation, and stakeholder engagement. The workshop’s framing questions centered on integrated assessment tools, innovative responses to climate and desertification challenges, stakeholder engagement, and barriers to scaling up solutions.
Participation in this workshop strengthened MONALISA’s visibility within the PRIMA community and reinforced the importance of exchange between projects working on interconnected water, energy, food, and ecosystem issues. By sharing the overall project vision together with concrete case study experience from Palestine and Asterousia, MONALISA contributed to a timely discussion on how research and practice can come together to support more sustainable futures in the Mediterranean.
