SMARTMED: Zied Debbabi on connecting people, knowledge and territories through communication

Zied Debbabi, Communication Director at BUSINESSMED and technical focal point for SMARTMED communication activities, supports the project’s visibility, stakeholder engagement and knowledge exchange, helping connect institutions, businesses, municipalities and innovation ecosystems across the Mediterranean.

Publication Date
03/09/2026
Reading Time
2 minutes

Zied Debbabi, Communication Director at the Union of Mediterranean Confederations of Enterprises, BUSINESSMED and technical focal point for SMARTMED communication activities, leads the project’s communication and visibility efforts, helping strengthen stakeholder engagement, knowledge exchange and collaboration across the Mediterranean.

Zied Debbabi serves as Communication Director at the Union of Mediterranean Confederations of Enterprises | BUSINESSMED and acts as the technical focal point responsible for communication activities within the SMARTMED project. Through his role, he ensures the effective dissemination of project results, strengthens stakeholder engagement and supports collaboration among partners and key actors across the Mediterranean region.

As Mediterranean cities increasingly work together to address common challenges related to digital transformation, sustainability and urban resilience, effective communication is essential for ensuring that innovative solutions, knowledge and good practices can travel beyond individual cities and countries.

Through SMARTMED, partners collaborate to develop and deploy smart city solutions that contribute to more sustainable, resilient and citizen-oriented urban environments. Communication plays a central role in this process by connecting institutions, businesses, municipalities and innovation ecosystems and ensuring that the project’s results reach the audiences that can benefit from and build upon them.

Strengthening SMARTMED’s visibility and stakeholder engagement

As the technical focal point for communication activities, Zied coordinates SMARTMED’s communication and visibility efforts, supporting the dissemination of project achievements and facilitating the exchange of knowledge and best practices among partners and stakeholders.

His work helps translate the project’s activities and results into clear and accessible messages for diverse audiences, while creating opportunities for dialogue and engagement across the Mediterranean.

By strengthening communication channels among project partners and external stakeholders, SMARTMED can increase awareness of its activities, showcase innovative smart city solutions and encourage the transfer and uptake of successful approaches across different Mediterranean territories.

Connecting the Mediterranean through knowledge exchange

Reflecting on the importance of communication for SMARTMED and Mediterranean cooperation, Zied Debbabi highlights the role of dialogue and knowledge exchange in creating lasting impact:

“Communication is at the heart of any successful Mediterranean cooperation initiative. In a region as diverse and interconnected as ours, creating strong channels for dialogue and knowledge exchange is essential to building mutual understanding and achieving common goals. Through SMARTMED, we are not only promoting innovative smart city solutions but also connecting people, institutions and territories around a shared vision for more sustainable and resilient cities. Effective communication allows good practices to travel beyond borders, strengthens partnerships and ensures that the project’s impact reaches the communities it aims to serve.”

Through effective communication, stakeholder engagement and close cooperation among its Mediterranean partners, SMARTMED continues to strengthen the connections between cities, institutions, businesses and innovation ecosystems, helping innovative solutions and good practices reach new audiences and contribute to a shared vision for smarter, more sustainable and resilient Mediterranean cities.

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Last Update

03/09/2026