Valenciaport and EIT Climate-KIC create the #SuperLabPorts to be a world reference against climate change

The Port Authority, Fundación Valenciaport and EIT Climate-KIC create a laboratory for innovation and entrepreneurship to connect demand with supply and mobilise cities, regions, countries, companies and start-ups to work together through large and diverse communities.

The aim is to join forces internationally to innovate and drive the systemic changes needed to bring about large-scale climate action.

The inaugural event of #SuperLabPorts will be held on Tuesday 22 October and will be hosted by Kirsten Dunlop, CEO of EIT Climate-KIC and Aurelio Martínez, President of the Port Authority of Valencia (PAV). Afterwards, both the president of the PAV and the head of EIT Climate-KIC will present the initiative to the President of the Generalitat, Ximo Puig.

Valencia, 17 October 2019 – Next week the #SuperLabPorts will be presented in Valencia, a space of international projection designed and conceived for innovation and entrepreneurship in the maritime and port sector in the field of climate change. The SuperLabPorts will be located in the port of Valencia; in the facilities of the Fundación Valenciaport and is the result of the collaboration between the PAV itself, the Fundación Valenciaport and EIT Climate-KIC Spain (the Spanish Centre for Climate Change Innovation – promoted by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology -, whose main mission is to promote the development of a low carbon economy with the aim of facilitating actions for adaptation and mitigation of climate change). With this initiative, Valenciaport is positioning itself as a world leader in the fight against global warming in the maritime and port sector.

The #SuperLabPorts will start its launch next Tuesday, as an open laboratory designed to be a multifunctional and multipurpose space for collaborative work and co-creation as catalysts for decarbonisation through a fundamental transformation of economic, social and financial systems.

As a Hub for co-creation, the #SuperlabPorts is a space for entrepreneurship and innovation that will bring together start-ups, technologists, companies, industry, universities, public bodies and citizens with the aim of accelerating solutions to the many challenges facing the maritime and port ecosystems. To do so, it counts on the experience and proximity of the Valenciaport Foundation and the international projection of the Port of Valencia and EIT Climate-KIC.

SuperLabPorts aims to connect demand with supply and mobilise cities, regions, countries, companies and start-ups to work together through large and diverse communities to join forces to innovate and drive the systemic changes needed to trigger large-scale climate action.

With this new strategy, EIT Climate-KIC (based in Valencia, Spain) shows that the only way to drive the transformations needed to successfully address climate change on time is through systems innovation, or systemic innovation, understood as coordinated and integrated interventions in economic, political and social systems.

Major Demonstrators in Europe

With this initiative, the Port of Valencia joins EIT Climate-KIC to participate in its strategy of creating eight types of large demonstrators in different parts of Europe to become global benchmarks and key thematic inspirers for the systemic transformation of society so that we are able to tackle the climate crisis in time. These demonstrators respond to the direct demand for transformational change from the large systems affected by climate change (cities, regions, ports, industries, institutions…) to work with them in the critical areas for high impact climate action to drive systemic change.

These Deep Demonstrations aim to impact “clean and healthy” cities, just transformations in coal and industrial regions, circular and regenerative economy, decarbonised food systems and healthy diets, or zero emissions in maritime hubs. During the first phase, currently underway, the systems work with designers and co-designers to identify existing challenges, define future visions and develop roadmaps.

With the creation of this first Hub specialising in innovation and entrepreneurship in climate change, the Port of Valencia, with its strategic location and exponential growth that has consolidated it as the leader in commercial container traffic in Spain and the Mediterranean, and the fourth port in the European ranking, is set to become the site of one of these great demonstrators and a world reference in the fight against global warming in the maritime and port sector.

Accelerating the decarbonisation of the sector

Ports are places where multiple systems collide: maritime transport, energy, waste, tourism and other types of transport. But for that very reason, their potential for far-reaching change is enormous. In a phased approach, EIT Climate-KIC will demonstrate how maritime hubs can be catalysts for reversing the rapid growth of emissions from shipping and international trade.

The creation of this space is intended to accelerate the transfer to market and mass adoption of innovative sustainability solutions in the maritime-port sector. The urgency of generating pre-commercial innovation and launching entrepreneurial initiatives in the fight against climate change in the maritime-port sector has reached a level that makes it necessary to multiply efforts to implement processes of decarbonisation of maritime transport that are decisive for the long-term viability of the maritime sector, of ports and therefore of the entire port community.

The opening ceremony of the #SuperLabPorts will be led by Kirsten Dunlop, CEO EIT Climate-KIC and Aurelio Martínez, president of the Port Authority of Valencia. Afterwards, both the president of the APV and the head of EIT Climate-KIC will present the initiative to the President of the Generalitat, Ximo Puig.

What is EIT Climate-KIC

EIT Climate-KIC Spain is the representation of the European initiative EIT Climate-KIC in Spain and its headquarters are located in the city of Valencia.

EIT Climate-KIC Spain is the Spanish Centre for Climate Change Innovation. It belongs to the European initiative EIT Climate-KIC, one of the Knowledge Innovation Communities promoted by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). EIT Climate-KIC was created in 2010 and has nearly 200 partner organisations, including universities, research centres, companies and public entities. It consists of a network of offices in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

The mission of EIT Climate-KIC Spain is to foster the development of a low-carbon economy with the aim of facilitating climate change adaptation and mitigation actions. Our three main pillars of action are innovation, entrepreneurship and training, through various programmes for attracting talent, higher education and acceleration of innovative ideas to tackle global warming. Our action is articulated through the promotion of sustainability in the Urban, Sustainable Production Systems, Land Management and Financial and Decision Making Parameters.

EIT Climate-KIC Spain promotes the challenge of the new model of sustainable economy based on competitiveness, economic growth and the generation of green jobs, in collaboration with the European Institute of Innovation and Technology and with the support of a community of prestigious and solvent partners. We work with our partners to advance in the consolidation of a Spanish innovative ecosystem in the field of climate change.