Valenciaport lays the foundations for the constitution of a Centre of Excellence in Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Climate Change for the Maritime-Port Sector

The PAV, Fundación Valenciaport and EIT Climate-KIC have inaugurated today in the port of Valencia the #SuperLabPorts to lead the action against climate change in the maritime sector.

The #SuperLabPorts is a space for entrepreneurship and innovation that will bring together start-ups, technologists, companies, industry, universities, public bodies and citizens to accelerate solutions to the challenges of climate change in the maritime-port sector.

Valencia, 22 October 2019 – The Valencia Port Authority ( PAV) conference room today hosted the presentation of #SuperLabPorts, an international space designed and conceived for innovation and entrepreneurship in the maritime and port sector in the field of climate change. The #SuperLabPorts is located in the facilities of the Valenciaport Foundation in the port of Valencia and is the result of the collaboration between the PAV itself, Fundación Valenciaport and EIT Climate-KIC Spain, the Spanish Centre for Climate Change Innovation. The event was attended by Aurelio Martínez, president of the APV and the Valenciaport Foundation; and Kirsten Dunlop, CEO of EIT Climate-KIC. After the event, the president of the PAV and the head of EIT Climate-KIC presented the initiative to the president of the Generalitat Valenciana, Ximo Puig.

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 numerous challenges faced by the maritime and port ecosystems. For this purpose, it counts on the experience and proximity of the Valenciaport Foundation and the international projection of the Port of Valencia and EIT Climate-KIC.

As Aurelio Martínez explained, “the #SuperLabPorts is a necessary step to establish in Valencia a Centre of Excellence in Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Climate Change for the Maritime-Port Sector. We have to work to achieve it, but I am convinced that we are in a position to fight for it. Through #SuperLabPorts we are promoting market studies of national and international start-ups in climate action applicable to the maritime-port sector, collaboration agreements with other accelerators and we have set up co-working spaces and conferences”.

The Port of Valencia,” continued Aurelio Martínez, “has long been distinguished for its environmental commitment, being a reference for the European port system. In recent years, we have made a notable effort to reduce the emissions generated by the port’s activity. Proof of this is that in the last six years we have managed to reduce the carbon footprint of the site by 17%, while the port’s traffic has grown by 24%”.

“As a cluster, Valenciaport aspires to become an international centre that addresses the challenge of climate change in the port logistics sector through innovation. Hence, the collaboration between the APV, the Valenciaport Foundation and EIT Climate-KIC is very important. There is still a considerable gap between research and the transfer to the market and mass adoption of the solutions researched in the field of sustainability in the maritime-port sector. Therefore, it is necessary to multiply efforts in this field and the #SuperLabPorts and, if successful, the Centre of Excellence in Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Climate Change for the Maritime-Port Sector will work in that direction”, explained the president of the APV and the Valenciaport Foundation.

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 bring about large-scale climate action.

Aurelio Martínez also explained that, in addition to #SuperLabPorts, work is underway with EIT Climate-KIC on a large demonstrator (Deep Demonstration on Maritime Hubs) that aims to show that even the largest port in the Mediterranean, the port of Valencia, can achieve a balanced energy balance by 2030 through a comprehensive action plan”. This project, which has been joined by the ports and maritime clusters of Cyprus and Piraeus, has a Climate-KIC budget of 15 million euros for the period 2020-2022.

Precisely, Kirsten Dunlop, CEO of EIT Climate-KIC has stated that “we have chosen Valencia to develop this #SuperLabPorts because of the leadership of the port at national and international level, but also because of its commitment in climate matters. The port of Valencia leads one of the most strategic projects of EIT Climate-KIC, the Maritime Hubs, created to demonstrate that the port can achieve net zero emissions in 2030 by defining a comprehensive plan, investing in innovation together with the EIT Climate-KIC community, implementing projects or providing incentives to change corporate behaviour”.