The CREACT4MED Steering Committee met in hybrid format on Wednesday 25th May to discuss the progress made in project activities so far, and next steps for the coming years of implementation.
The meeting was hosted by the Euro-Mediterranean Economists Association (EMEA), Lead Partner and Coordinator of the CREACT4MED project, at their offices in Barcelona, with some partners connecting online.
The achievements of Year 1 of implementation were presented, which included the bulk of the mapping activities, the preparation of training contents and recruitment of trainees and trainers for the Academy which was launched the same day, the selection of business incubators in each target country to receive funding to implement incubation services.
Looking forward to the next year of implementation, mapping of the remaining country’s CCI ecosystems will be completed, as well as the CCI Training Academy and selection of entrepreneurs to receive sub-grants. Best Practice in terms of CCI entrepreneurship and ecosystem enablement will continue to be collected, and a Data Observatory will be published online. Several types of events will be held, including alumni events for Academy trainees, EU-Southern Neighborhood policy dialogues, and events consolidating the Med CCI Hub that aims to bring together all types of relevant actors from across the region.
The meeting also welcomed RedStart Tunisia as a new partner in the project consortium, one of several changes introduced in response to the challenges presented by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic at the start of the project.
In closing, Professor Rym Ayadi, Founder and President of EMEA, noted the difficulties initially faced due to the global health crisis, and thanked all project partners for their continued efforts, resilience and cooperation, which has been reflected in the strong progress made so far, and the promising roadmap for the next years of the CREACT4MED project as it continues to strengthen cultural and creative businesses and entrepreneurship in the Mediterranean region.
