The Egyptian partner in the iHERITAGE project, the Confederation of Egyptian European Business Associations- CEEBA, attended this year's TECHNE Summit in its 7th (hybrid) Edition, which was held at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria, Egypt, from the 2nd to the 4th of October 2021.

Techne Summit is an international multi-industry Investment & Entrepreneurship event that aims to impact many sectors and stakeholders of the Mediterranean Startup Communities by demonstrating various technologies and their applications in each industry. The project kick-started in 2015 in Alexandria and has since attracted participants from more than 70 nations around the world. Over 21,000 people attended the event, both in person and remotely, with over 800 early-stage firms, 180 exhibitors, and 300+ speakers.           

During a round table discussion titled "Tourism Entrepreneurship in Egypt – Challenges and Opportunities" hosted by the Arab Academy for Science, Technology, and Maritime Transport's Entrepreneurship Center on October 5th, experts from the tourism sector discussed and evaluated the challenges and opportunities that face tourism and ICT entrepreneurs in Egypt. CEEBA representatives introduced the iHERITAGE project as an opportunity for ICT SMEs to collaborate with regional travel agencies, discussed the concept of integrating technologies in the field of tourism, and announced the opportunity to participate in upcoming Living Labs in Egypt, as well as future calls for proposals and subgrant opportunities. Dr. Soha Bahgat, Advisor to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Dr. Ghada Khalil, Director of the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development's Rowad 2030 Project, Omar Abdelgawad, Programme Associate and Communication Officer of the UNESCO, as well as representatives from innovative tourism start-ups and more, were among those who attended and contributed to the round table discussion.

Furthermore, the Egyptian team showcased iHERITAGE at this year's 3-day hybrid event, with 10 other projects, at a booth showcasing ENI CBC MED initiatives, where they were able to promote the project's aims and financing options to interested tourist and ICT delegates.

The event helped the Egyptian team further assess what the industry lacks and could be offered with the Living labs programmes to increase creativity, productivity, and true integration of ICT in UNESCO world heritage sites around the Mediterranean, all while staying in touch with local communities and industries in order to cater to their needs, just as we are nearing the launch of the iHERITAGE Living Labs Programme in Egypt.