Barcelona will host BlueTechPort, a Blue Economy innovation hub

Port of Barcelona and Tech Barcelona have inaugurated BlueTechPort, an innovation space for companies that aim to promote innovation in all sectors related to the blue economy. 

The space, located in Tech Barcelona's Pier 01 at the Palau de Mar in Barcelona, will host companies and entrepreneurial projects related to the port, logistics, and blue tourism, but also to more disruptive sectors such as underwater robotics, artificial intelligence applied to the marine environment, the recovery of marine biodiversity or pharmaceutical components made from sea products, among others.

"All these sectors represent new opportunities for the maritime and port ecosystem, and from the Port of Barcelona, we want to be at the side of these initiatives and become a benchmark for the blue economy in Europe," said the president of the Port of Barcelona, Lluís Salvadó, at the presentation of the new space.

The BlueTechPort space, the first of its kind in the Port of Barcelona, is a further step in the commitment to innovation in the blue economy, as reflected in the Innovation Plan approved in 2021. Through this plan, embodied in specific initiatives such as BlueTechPort or the BCN Port Innovation Foundation, the Port of Barcelona integrates innovation into its overall strategy to become a more sustainable and competitive port, generating benefits for the logistics port community, its customers, and citizens.

The collaboration with Tech Barcelona will allow companies set up in the BlueTechPort to enjoy all the benefits available to the startups that are part of the ecosystem. It is another example of the network of alliances on which the Port of Barcelona is building its open innovation strategy. This innovative ecosystem will form the Blue District, designed to generate synergies between the different institutions and companies present in the Port of Barcelona, but at the same time open to attract companies and reference research centers outside the port area.
 

"In 2013, with the creation of Tech Barcelona, we were pioneers in bringing together and strengthening Barcelona's technological and digital ecosystem alongside the city's best entrepreneurs. Now, 10 years later, our pioneering spirit is still intact: the creation of BlueTechPort, together with the Port of Barcelona, will allow us to consolidate and develop the blue economy, a strategic sector that will play a key role in the transformation of the city," said Miquel Martí, CEO of Tech Barcelona, at the opening ceremony.

Pier01, a former warehouse located by the sea and owned by the Port of Barcelona, has been the headquarters of Tech Barcelona since 2016, the pioneering association that promotes and drives Barcelona's technology and digital ecosystem. The association represents over 1,300 companies, from startups to large corporations, always with innovation and technology as a common denominator.

Barcelona, the most important technology center in Southern Europe and the second city entrepreneurs prefer to create startups, has over 2,000 startups and 100 multinational technology centers.

Sustainability is one of the strategic axes of the companies that make up Barcelona's technological and digital ecosystem. Therefore, the alliance between the Port of Barcelona and Tech Barcelona is a unique opportunity to develop the city's blue economy and consolidate the sector as an international benchmark.

Source: Port of Barcelona