The Gozo Regional Council is a Local Government set-up representing the 14 Local Councils in Gozo. In line with its remit to provide the Local Councils with assistance within the social, cultural, touristic and environmental spheres. The Gozo Regional Council has embarked on the European Region of Gastronomy project to promote Gozo’s gastronomy as an asset and a catalyst for sustainable development in the region. Through a coordinated approach which will promote coordination and collaboration as the main driving forces, the Gozo Regional Council will be spearheading this international initiative which will, for the first time ever in local history, focus exclusively on gastronomy. The actions proposed within this Bid Book will be put into practice in tandem with the implementation of the Regional Cultural Strategy launched in 2022, and aiming to empower cultural development within the Region.

The Gozo Business Chamber was founded by a public deed on the 20th December 1999, to promote the common interests of business operators in Gozo. The Gozo Business Chamber safeguards and promotes the common interests of its members, addresses challenges and issues, acts as a mediator between members and authorities, represents members, promotes commercial opportunities and fosters cooperation between members.

Established in 1987, the Institute of Tourism Studies (ITS) is Malta’s main educational institution for hospitality and tourism. Offering a wide range of study programmes from Foundation to Master’s Degree level, ITS provides students with both theoretical and practical education in specialised labs and kitchens. ITS also provides opportunities for students to pursue further training and specialisations, equipping them with a competitive edge in the industry. The Institute of Tourism currently has two campuses; one in Luqa (Malta) and another one in Qala (Gozo).

The Gozo Regional Development Authority (GRDA) was officially launched on the 14th of September 2020. The Authority has a regulatory and consultative role and addresses an important gap in the socio-economic development of Gozo by developing and streamlining regional policies and by overseeing their implementation through the adoption of modern project management tools.

An association which unites, promotes and safeguards individuals, companies, partnerships and associations that operate in the tourism industry in Gozo. The GTA acts as a contact point for all the stakeholders in the field and promotes Gozo as a tourism destination. The association organises the yearly Gozo Tourism awards.

The Gozo NGOs Association is an umbrella organisation set up in 2003 with the aim of encouraging cooperation between NGOs in Gozo and to act as a partner with the Ministry of Gozo in process required to prepare the Gozo to meet the challenges that the Gozo based voluntary sector would have to face on Malta’s accession to the EU

The Gozo College is essentially a group of 11 Primary Schools, 1 Middle School and 1 Secondary School in Gozo. The College manages and administers these different schools, with the aim of providing a sound and solid base for a holistic education for school children in Gozo.

The Gozo Action Group Foundation (GAGF) is a foundation composed of a group of local councils and private entities operating within the Island of Gozo in Malta. The Foundation is responsible for implementing the LEADER Programme under the Rural Development Programme for Malta (2014-2020) within its territory, amongst others. The Foundation’s overarching objective is to develop the rural localities in its territory so as to improve the quality of life and make this territory more economically prosperous. The foundation is made up of the 14 Gozitan Local Councils that are represented on the Decision Committee by three mayors, the general business sector represented by the Gozo Business Chamber, the Gozo Tourism Association, the Maltese Islands Agri Federation (MIAF) and the Gozo NGO Association. The GAGF, with the same partners, has been operating successfully since 2008. The Previous programming period was the first experience of the Foundation in the implementation of the LEADER programme. The GAGF successfully set up a fully functioning office and has gained experience in the evaluation of projects, communication of the LEADER initiative to the region as well as promoting LEADER.

In 2008 the Maltese Government presented a new concept for the island called Eco-Gozo, a vision which aims to transform Gozo and Gozitan society into a sustainable reality, not only environmentally, but also socially and economically. Clearly the agricultural sector will play a significant role in bringing about this transformation. The Ministry for Gozo recognised that the scarcity of available background data and the general lack of research facilities required to fulfill the quest for all-round sustainability needed to be remedied. As a result of the most important proposals of the Eco-Gozo programme is the establishment of a state-of the art centre for research, development and innovation in ecology and agriculture. The Government Experimental Farm (GEF) at Xewkija was chosen as the base for the development of this centre. This farm, which was set up in 1958, intended to improve agricultural productivity of the island both qualitatively and quantitatively. The farm has a total area of about 9 hectares, of which 7.2 hectares is arable land. Activities over the years included trials concerning new growing and rearing techniques, demonstration of new technologies, educational courses for farmers, trials of new seed varieties, trials of local vegetables among other things. Currently works are underway to transform the Government Experimental Farm in a Centre for Innovation, Rural Sciences and Environmental Management (CIRSEM). The main mission of the centre will be research, education and dissemination of knowledge and technological advancement in Mediterranean agriculture, food production and environmental management

The Gozo Confederation of Agriculture and Fisheries is the organization representating and protecting the interests of Gozo’s agricultural and fisheries sectors. It recognises farmers and fishermen as entrepreneur; the protagonists who pursue economic development within the primary sector and the technological and social importance of their enterprises. The Confederation also takes care of the problems of young farmers, women entrepreneurs in agriculture and fishermen. It represents the vast majority of farmers and fishermen in Gozo, thus becoming the interlocutor with the Government for this important sector in Gozo. The presence of the Confederation in Gozo is embodied in a widespread manner. The headquarters is in Xewkija, Gozo in the historic Gozitano Agricultural Village – a monument to Gozo’s agricultural history. Through its members, it is also present in Brussels, at CEJA.

 The aim of the Gozo Artisan Network is to unite and bring together all persons, companies, partnerships or associations operating in the artisan and craftmaking sector in Gozo in order to safeguard the interests of local artisans and craftspeople and promote excellence in the local craft product/service both nationally and internationally.