Santi Parra Valero

Young Researcher Award

Premios Armada 2022 · Spanish Navy

Awarded for historical research on the preservation of underwater cultural heritage, carried out in Almería. The award included a voyage aboard the training ship Juan Sebastián de Elcano and was my first publicly recognised research work.

BSc in Economics and International Business

Universidad de Alcalá

The degree gave me the grounding in economic theory, econometrics, international trade and quantitative analysis that I later applied in my research and in the projects in China.

Primaflor · Commercial Department

In the Commercial Department I followed up on customers and operations and analysed commercial information. I also designed AI-assisted workflows to organise and process logistics information.

Fudan University

Full-year academic exchange · 9.5/10 average grade

Over the year in Shanghai I studied the Chinese economy, international finance, doing business in China and strategic management from within the country's own economic and business context.

• Further coursework in globalisation, Asia-Pacific and international economic relations.

Spain–China State Visit

Institutional event · Beijing, 2025

I was invited to an institutional event held in Beijing during the State Visit of the King and Queen of Spain to China, focused on the economic, commercial and institutional relationship between the two countries.

• I exchanged views with Carlos Cuerpo, Spain's Minister for Economy, Trade and Business, on the Spain–China trade relationship and how it may develop.

SIAL Shanghai

International food trade fair · 2026

I supported the China-focused promotional activities of Almería-based food exporters under the Sabores Almería brand, working alongside Spanish business and institutional representatives, including Spain's Economic and Commercial Office.

Wuxi Pacific

International business development · 2026

I worked directly with Wuxi Pacific's management on exploring commercial opportunities for the company's international expansion.

• Visited the company's facilities in Wuxi.
• Identified and screened prospective clients and commercial counterparts.
• Introduced Wuxi Pacific to a multinational logistics provider and coordinated the initial discussions to explore a potential commercial relationship.

Bachelor's thesis · 9.5/10

The China Gap: Spain's Export Performance in the Chinese Market

I analysed Spain's export performance in China using a structural gravity model estimated with PPML on CEPII and UN Comtrade data for 2001–2024, and benchmarked Spain against Germany, France and Italy.

ICEX Scholarships · 51st cohort

MBA in International Management · ICEX / Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo (UIMP) · 2026–2027

The programme is run by ICEX, Spain's public agency for trade and investment, and is structured in three phases:

• MBA in International Management — ICEX / UIMP, Madrid.
• Practical training in Spain's network of Economic and Commercial Offices abroad.
• A later phase in companies, institutions or international organisations.
• Competitive national selection: accredited English, a capacities test and an interview.