From left to right: Emma Cobos (Port of Barcelona), Gustavo Santana (Puertos del Estado), José Alberto Carbonell (Port of Barcelona), Jaume Collboni (Mayor of Barcelona), Sílvia Paneque (Minister of the Government of Catalonia), and Carles Anglada (WTCB).
Port de Barcelona
The Port Authority of Barcelona has officially kicked off the refurbishment project of the warehouses at the Sant Bertran Wharf, which will become the future headquarters of BlueTechPort, an innovation and development center.
In this way, the entire Port of Barcelona will become a large-scale sandbox where 2,500 professionals will work on innovation linked to the port sector and the blue economy.
BlueTechPort, which has received a €60 million investment, already hosts 22 companies. By 2028, the new 25,000 m² space for companies and organizations is expected to be fully operational.
"The building and the rest of the port area will operate as a single ecosystem, which will also include the BCN Port Innovation Foundation and the projects of the Ports 4.0 program," said the President of the Port of Barcelona, José Alberto Carbonell.
According to Sílvia Paneque, Minister for Territory, Housing and Ecological Transition of the Government of Catalonia, marine research centers, blue-economy sectors, and civil society organizations "have carried out exemplary work over recent years and can now take pride in the fact that Barcelona is home to this innovation center for blue-economy technologies."
Finally, Barcelona's Mayor, Jaume Collboni, emphasized that "the reuse of disused physical spaces through technology, together with the ability to attract talent via this port-related project, must enable us to guarantee the right to remain in the city by creating new job opportunities for the people of Barcelona."