Fundación Valenciaport promotes 9 innovation projects in the first half of the year

These new projects have been presented today by the general director of Fundación Valenciaport, Antonio Torregrosa, during the ordinary meeting of the board of trustees of the entity

During the meeting, the management report and annual accounts for the 2023 financial year were approved and the members of the board were informed of the activities launched since the beginning of 2024

Valencia, June 19th, 2024. – Fundación Valenciaport’s Board of Trustees today held its ordinary meeting for the first half of the year, at which the management report and annual accounts of the Foundation for the 2023 financial year were approved.

Antonio Torregrosa, the entity’s general manager, gave a detailed account to the members of the board of trustees of the activity carried out by the entity during the first half of 2024, starting with the excellent news of the nine innovation projects approved since the beginning of the year. These are seven projects funded by the Horizon Europe programme: FAITH ,an initiative that will develop reliable and ethical Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions in areas such as healthcare, education, transport and critical infrastructure management; BLUEBARGE, which will solve power supply problems for ships in areas with difficult access to the electricity grid; CLARION, an initiative focused on fostering inter-port collaboration to improve the climate resilience and sustainability of European ports; MANTHOVA, which aims to establish a hydrogen valley centred on the city of Mantova (Italy); SEAFAIRER, which will demonstrate the production of improved biofuels from biogenic waste for use in maritime transport; MEDIATE, which will focus on ensuring information flow in freight traffic and improving information security; and TRANSCEND, which will provide operators of critical freight transport infrastructure with an integrated set of advanced tools, guidelines and technological solutions to reduce risk and improve protection against physical, cyber and hybrid threats. In addition to these seven Horizon Europe projects, there is POWER4MED, an initiative co-financed by the EMFAF programme that seeks to promote the transition towards carbon neutrality in maritime transport; as well as ETE, a project financed by the MITECO Recovery and Resilience Funds, which will enhance the value of the industrial maritime fishing heritage by creating a national route of experiences of this type of tourism, bringing the total number of innovation projects currently underway in the entity to 40.

On the other hand, the director also informed the members of the board of trustees of the excellent operation of IMARPORT, the new service for the promotion and financing of innovation in the maritime port cluster. This Fundación Valenciaport initiative, which aims to help companies in the sector to participate in R&D&I projects and calls for grants for the implementation of digitisation solutions, energy transition and productivity improvement, has been very well received in its first months of operation.

In terms of open innovation, Torregrosa presented the 4 startups selected for the first Business Growth Program of Opentop (Sciling, Synnect, Now Systems and Hydros Power), which will solve the challenges of the port logistics sector proposed by Infoport, Port Authority of Valencia, Arsinoe and Opentop. He also highlighted the news of the recent creation of a cutting-edge 5G laboratory in collaboration with the iTEAM institute of the UPV and the successful holding of the demonstration event of the PAULA technology platform, from the spin-off SEAPort Solutions.

Within the area of Market Intelligence, the director presented the agenda for the annual conference of the IAME (International Association of Maritime Economists), which will take place in Valencia from 26 to 28 June and has been organised by Fundación Valenciaport, the Port Authority of Valencia and the Valenciaport Chair of Port Economics APV – UV. This is the first edition in Spain of this important conference that brings together researchers and industry leaders to explore the future of the maritime economy.

With regard to the training area, the director highlighted as a milestone the 90% pass rate in the 1st edition of the programme for the joint award of the Train Driver’s Licence and the Driving Diploma, as well as the start of the internships for the students of the 2nd edition and the opening of registrations for the 3rd edition, which will begin on 1 July. Torregrosa also informed about the start date of the 33rd edition of the Master in Port Management and Intermodal Transport, which will begin on 17 October and which this year, as a novelty, has launched its own social networks. He also highlighted the good performance of the 1st edition of the ‘Aids to Maritime Navigation’ course, designed together with Puertos del Estado; as well as the development of innovative materials linked to the FP in International Trade “Logistics-Port Specialisation”, such as the “simulated companies” tool, which allows students to become familiar with the management of international trade documentation or an immersive reality video of the import and export flow.

Regarding international cooperation, the director highlighted the recent signing of a new agreement with UNCTAD for the development of training materials for Train For Trade courses on digital transformation and energy transition, as well as the collaboration with CMA-CGM (and its Terminal Link terminal group) for the management and implementation of innovation projects in decarbonisation and digitisation. He also mentioned the successful start of the 4th edition of the Master in Logistics and Port Management in Brazil, with 34 students enrolled.

Finally, the director informed the board members of the recent launch of the Fundación Valenciaport’s 2023 Report, an interactive document that is now available both on the corporate website and on the organisation’s social networks.