The Port of Barcelona and eighteen companies join forces to promote innovation in the sector

The technological innovation center promoted by the Port of Barcelona already has eighteen associated companies and an initial budget of 500,000 euros for this 2023 with which they will begin to work on solutions for port activity. The public-private entity, founded together with the technology companies Ackcent and Aggity, was formally established this week and was officially presented this Friday morning at an event at the CaixaForum, next to the SIL logistics fair.

“We have to ensure that innovative leadership enters the Port with force, we need agility”, remarked the president of the Port, Lluís Salvadó, during the event. The director of the Bcn Port Innovation Foundation, Miquel de la Mano, explained that they are already working on two projects that apply technological solutions to facilitate the passage of goods through the Port. The initiative is part of the Pla d’Innovació of the Port of Barcelona and proposes a new collaborative and open participation model between the infrastructure and companies of the Catalan capital, with special focus on the startup ecosystem, Salvadó remarked. The research axes revolve around logistics, mobility and decarbonisation.

The entity is governed by a board of trustees for twelve members, chaired by the Port. Among the members of this governing body are the president of Aggity, Óscar Pierre, the CEO of Ackcent, Lluís Vera, the CEO of Factor Energia, Emili Rousaud, and the deputy financial director of the Port, Míriam Alaminos. It also has an executive committee and an advisory council.

The companies that are part of the foundation make financial contributions depending on their degree of involvement and range from a minimum of 5,000 euros per year to a maximum of 25,000 euros. The companies that contribute the most have greater decision-making capacity when selecting the projects that are carried out, according to Míriam Alaminos.

Among the current partners that have made the most economic contribution are Siemens, Grimaldi Lines, Merlin Properties, BEST, Factor Energia or Aquarium, among others.

“We want it to be an open project,” insisted Salvadó. The objective is to increase the number of member companies and three more projects with a direct impact on the port sector are expected to begin in the coming months. The presentation was preceded by a round table on artificial intelligence.