BlueTechPort, a new innovation space for firms created by the Port of Barcelona and Tech Barcelona, intends to stimulate innovation in all areas relevant to the blue economy.
The venue, which will be located at Tech Barcelona’s Pier 01 at the Palau de Mar, will host companies and entrepreneurial projects related to the port, logistics, and blue tourism sectors, as well as more disruptive sectors such as underwater robotics, artificial intelligence applied to the marine environment, marine biodiversity recovery, or pharmaceutical components made from marine products, to name a few.
“All of these sectors spell new opportunities for the maritime and port ecosystem, and at the Port of Barcelona, we want to support these initiatives, becoming a benchmark for the blue economy in Europe,” stated Lluís Salvadó, president of Port of Barcelona.
BlueTechPort is designed to host start-ups, scale-ups and innovative projects of established companies, which will enjoy the support and cooperation of the Port of Barcelona for performing pilot tests or testing prototypes of their projects, using the port as a sandbox in which to try out their ideas and proposals. This collaboration will also provide them access to funds and grants for the blue economy sectors linked to maritime and port activity as they integrate into the innovation ecosystem growing up around the Port of Barcelona and Tech Barcelona.
BlueTechPort, the first area of its kind at the Port of Barcelona, represents a further step in the commitment to innovation in the blue economy embodied in the Innovation Plan approved in 2021. Through this plan, rolled out through specific initiatives such as BlueTechPort or BCN Port Innovation Foundation, the Port of Barcelona is integrating innovation into its overall strategy to become a more sustainable and competitive port and generate benefits for the logistics-port community, for its customers and for the wider public.
The collaboration with Tech Barcelona will allow the companies that set up at the BlueTechPort to enjoy all the benefits available to the start-ups that are part of the ecosystem and is a further example of the network of alliances on which the Port of Barcelona is building its open innovation strategy.
This innovative ecosystem will shape the Blue District, which has been designed to generate synergies between the various institutions and companies at the Port of Barcelona while also remaining open to attracting key companies and research centres beyond the port precinct.
“When we founded Tech Barcelona in 2013, we were pioneers in bringing together and strengthening Barcelona’s technological and digital ecosystem in collaboration with the city’s best entrepreneurs.” Now, ten years later, our pioneering spirit remains intact: “Creating BlueTechPort with the Port of Barcelona will allow us to consolidate and develop the blue economy, a strategic sector that will play a fundamental role in the city’s transformation,” stated Miquel Mart, Tech Barcelona CEO at the launch event.
