The International Spanish Chamber of Commerce (CCI Spain), in collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce of Alicante (CCI Alicante), organised a study visit in Alicante, inviting 14 entrepreneurs from Egypt, Lebanon, and Tunisia from the cultural and creative industries. The study visit took place between the 3^rd and 7^th of July 2023 and had the aim of introducing the Southern Mediterranean entrepreneurs to the Spanish entrepreneurial ecosystem and some important aspects of business to support the project beneficiaries in the sustainable growth of their projects.

In the opening 2 days of the visit, the entrepreneurs had the chance to meet Chamber of Commerce of Alicante experts and discover the various support services offered to SMEs. They visited the Elche Industrial Park Business Incubator facility, where they met and networked with entrepreneurs in the area and participated in a Gamified course organised by a coach specialised in entrepreneurship. These activities allowed them to establish new connections with entrepreneurs in the Creative Industries sector and acquire new tools and knowledge to facilitate the creation and consolidation of ideas and projects.

Following this introduction and opportunity to network, the entrepreneurs visited the European Union Intellectual Property Office Headquarters in Alicante. This allowed the participants to gain firsthand knowledge of the most important aspects of this field. This had relevance to entrepreneurs in the cultural and creative industries who need to protect their ideas, especially when exporting internationally. To put this theoretical information into practice, the entrepreneurs then took part in a workshop conducted by a specialised firm in the protection, defense, and strategic management of creative and innovative products and services. This interactive session focused on the doubts of the entrepreneurs to ensure they truly benefitted from the information that was provided to them.

On the fourth day, a visit was organised to Alicante’s Digital District where start-ups dedicated to the development of video games shared their projects and insights about the industry with the entrepreneurs. In the digital district, they also visited the cinematic complex dedicated to the film world and audiovisual production.

To close the mobility visit, the activity focused on opportunities beyond the visit and the INVESTMED project. The participants visited the European Innovation Center of Alicante and the Casa Mediterraneo, where potential European and Spanish programs, as well as other bilateral cooperation activities between Spain and Mediterranean countries, were highlighted, demonstrating future entrepreneurial opportunities.