The Port de Barcelona participated in the Smart Oceans: Sustainability, Technology and Economic Growth conference, which is being held yesterday and today in the town of Angra do Heroísmo, on Ilha Terceira, Azores Islands (Portugal), and which has brought together about twenty professionals from the different sectors of the blue economy: innovation and science, economy and trade, infrastructure, etc.

The objective of the conference is:

  • To strengthen institutional and strategic links between the governments of Catalonia and the Azores, promoting stable cooperation in the field of sustainable blue economy and European policies related to the oceans.
  • To promote the creation of collaboration networks and the exchange of knowledge between Catalan and Portuguese entities in the fields of science, technology, innovation, economy and infrastructure, with the aim of developing joint projects that contribute to the sustainability and competitiveness of the blue economy.
  • To identify and promote investment, innovation and business cooperation opportunities between the maritime ecosystems of Catalonia and the Azores, taking advantage of territorial complementarities and existing capacities to generate sustainable economic growth with high added value.
  • To encourage the adoption of advanced technologies and digital solutions applied to the sustainable management of marine resources, strengthening the role of Catalonia and the Azores as reference territories in the transformation towards more resilient, connected and productive oceans.

The conference was structured around four sessions: Blue Governance and Sustainability: public policies, international agreements and the sea as a common resource; Science and maritime monitoring: the impact of emerging and disruptive technologies on the study of the oceans; Coastal and island communities: the blue economy as an engine of economic growth; and Smart ports and sustainable transport: strategy and management of ports as investment hubs for the green and digital transition.

In this last session, the Director of Innovation and Blue Economy Strategy of the Port de Barcelona, Emma Cobos, explained how this infrastructure has led the innovation and transformation of Barcelona's maritime economy. To this end, the Port has created two tools that are acting as catalysts for the innovative activity that its Port Community has been developing for years: BlueTechPort, a new innovation space for companies focused on the blue economy; and the BCN Port Innovation Foundation.

Cobos explained that BlueTechPort, currently under construction and which will occupy the old Sant Bertran warehouses, will be a hub dedicated to the blue economy unique in Europe, where the building and port area will function together as a large experimentation laboratory. With an investment of 60 million euros and 25,000 m² built, BlueTechPort will have a capacity for 2,500 professionals.

In the case of the BCN Port Innovation Foundation, the Director of Innovation and Blue Economy Strategy of the Port de Barcelona explained that its objective is to promote innovative solutions that transform the maritime-port sector. The foundation supports specific projects that have an effective application in the maritime and port environment.

The Smart Oceans: Sustainability, Technology and Economic Growth conference concluded with a visit to Porto da Praia da Vitória and TERINOV – Science and Technology Park of Ilha Terceira.