• 3 min de lectura
• 3 min de lectura
The Autoridad Portuaria de Alicante has obtained funding from IVACE+i Innovación, within the Public Procurement of Innovation Promotion Program, to develop an ambitious project that will consolidate a stable model of open innovation and collaboration with companies, universities, and technology centers during the 2026-2028 period.
The port's proposal was the second highest-rated in the call and will receive aid of 152,281.40 euros.
The initiative, called "Advanced Activation of Public Procurement of Innovation and the Technology Sandbox of the Port of Alicante for the generation of public demand in energy, sustainability, and SmartPort 4.0," represents a new step in the port's modernization strategy and reinforces its commitment to innovation as a tool to improve the competitiveness, sustainability, and security of its facilities.
Far from focusing solely on the acquisition of new technologies, the project aims to create a different way of working, with specific objectives: to detect its future needs in advance, to dialogue with the market to learn about the most advanced solutions, and to facilitate that innovative companies can develop proposals adjusted to the real challenges of the port environment.
To achieve this, the Autoridad Portuaria de Alicante will reinforce tools already implemented in recent years, such as early demand maps, preliminary market consultations, and Public Procurement of Innovation procedures. These actions will identify opportunities in areas such as sustainability, energy efficiency, water quality, smart mobility, digitalization, and personal safety.
One of the key elements of the initiative will be the consolidation of the Technology Sandbox of the Port of Alicante, a space designed for companies to test their developments in real conditions before their possible implementation. Under the "test before you buy" philosophy, participating companies will have the opportunity to validate innovative technologies within the port environment and demonstrate their usefulness, reliability, and degree of maturity.
This model seeks to reduce the risks associated with innovation and facilitate the entry of startups, technological SMEs, research centers, and emerging companies that often find it difficult to access large public procurement projects.
In addition to promoting the internal transformation of the organization, the project aims to reinforce the port's role as an innovation driver for the province of Alicante. The initiative aspires to mobilize dozens of companies and entities from the Valencian innovation ecosystem, generating new collaboration opportunities in areas related to energy transition, the digital economy, artificial intelligence, and the development of SmartPort solutions.
One of the first innovation challenges, within this new framework of work, will be the search and validation of technologies aimed at prevention, early detection, and rescue support in the event of accidental falls into the water.
To this end, solutions based on smart sensors, artificial vision, artificial intelligence, and connected devices will be explored to improve safety levels in the port area.
With this development, the Autoridad Portuaria de Alicante takes another step in its objective of making innovation a permanent capability of the organization.
The ultimate goal is to consolidate a model that allows for the continuous incorporation of new technologies, attracts talent and knowledge, and positions the Port of Alicante as a reference space for experimentation and the development of innovative solutions linked to the port and logistics sector.
