The Port of Barcelona and World Trade Center Barcelona (WTCB) today officially kicked off construction works on BlueTechPort, the new innovation space for the blue economy that will transform the Sant Bertran warehouses and the port as a whole into a unique hub in Europe, where the building and the port area will jointly operate as a large experimentation laboratory.
The laying of the first stone marks the start of works which, with an investment of €60 million, will make it possible by 2028 to offer a new 25,000 m² space for companies and organisations linked to the blue economy, providing workplaces for 2,500 professionals. BlueTechPort, however, will not be just a building. It will be the epicentre of an innovative ecosystem extending beyond the Sant Bertran quay to turn the entire Port of Barcelona into a large sandbox where innovations linked to the port sector and the blue economy can be brought to life.
This applied innovation hub represents a major qualitative and quantitative leap in the Port of Barcelona’s innovation strategy, which has already demonstrated its ability to foster companies and emerging business models through the first phases of BlueTechPort. Combining the space where it originated, Pier01 at Tech Barcelona, and, until this autumn, the first warehouse at Sant Bertran, there are already 22 companies that are part of BlueTechPort.
Many of them have not only set up at the Port of Barcelona, but are already testing prototypes and carrying out trials along the 50 linear metres of Barcelona Nord quay that have been set aside for this purpose. This is an example of the model that the new BlueTechPort will scale up across the rest of the port area, spreading innovation throughout Barcelona.
The refurbishment project for the Sant Bertran quay warehouses, the future home of the new BlueTechPort, has been designed by b720 Fermín Vázquez Arquitectos and is being jointly led with World Trade Center Barcelona, which will execute the works after being awarded the building concession for the next 36 years.
“BlueTechPort is more than a building: it is the gateway to an open laboratory spanning the entire Port of Barcelona, where innovation is tested under real conditions,” said the President of the Port of Barcelona, José Alberto Carbonell, adding that “the building and the rest of the port area will function as a single ecosystem, which also includes the BCN Port Innovation Foundation and projects under the Ports 4.0 programme. This ecosystem is ideal for testing innovations and generating impact in the logistics sector and the blue economy. We will also create synergies with other leading innovation players that have chosen the Port as their base and are already fully operational, such as Tech Barcelona or Norrsken, which rank among Europe’s leading technological and impact innovation hubs.”
The President of Puertos del Estado, Gustavo Santana, recalled the potential of ports to drive innovation across many fields, highlighting that “buildings such as BlueTechPort position ports as catalysts for the blue economy.” In turn, the Managing Director of WTCB, Carles Anglada, underscored the value of the new BlueTechPort as “a meeting point to generate collaborations and synergies,” enriching a rapidly growing innovative ecosystem that already acts as a magnet for talent.
The Minister for Territory, Housing and Ecological Transition of the Government of Catalonia, Sílvia Paneque, noted that “the new BlueTechPort is built on a legacy of the country and on scientific knowledge that provides it with credibility and security,” highlighting the role of the Catalan Maritime Co-Management Council, with representatives from the regional government, marine research centres, blue-economy sectors and civil society organisations, which “has carried out exemplary work over recent years and now also takes pride in having this new blue-economy technology innovation centre in Barcelona.”
Finally, the Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, stressed that “BlueTechPort is an initiative fully aligned with the city’s economic diversification strategy and a flagship project in Barcelona’s commitment to the blue economy. The reuse of disused physical spaces through technology, and the ability to attract talent through this port-linked project, must enable us to guarantee the right to stay in the city by creating new job opportunities for the people of Barcelona.”
PHOTO. From left to right: Emma Cobos, Director of Innovation at the Port of Barcelona; Gustavo Santana, President of Puertos del Estado; José Alberto Carbonell, President of the Port of Barcelona; Jaume Collboni, Mayor of Barcelona; Sílvia Paneque, Minister for Territory, Housing and Ecological Transition; and Carles Anglada, Managing Director of WTCB, at the laying of the first stone of the new BlueTechPort.
