The Barcelona City Council, through Barcelona Activa, in collaboration with Costa Cruises and the Port of Barcelona, today launched the first edition of Blue-Up. This program supports and evaluates 11 projects in the "blue" sector that aim to develop and validate their business models.
After intensive seminars and tests, the 11 projects have been selected and have started the program today on board the Costa Smeralda, one of the four LNG ships with which the Costa Group has pioneered this technology worldwide.
The Councillor for Tourism and Creative Industries, Xavier Marcé, has stated that projects like this one align perfectly with the Blue Economy Promotion Strategy because they support “a sustainable maritime economy in the city and foster entrepreneurship, innovation, talent, and employment linked to the sea.” Marcé pointed out that “the blue economy is here to stay,” and “it would be a mistake not to take advantage of its enormous potential.” He noted that the upcoming America's Cup will bring about a major transformation of the city, with the aim of ensuring that this transformation “goes beyond mere economic gain.” He also argued for “the importance of educating citizens about the blue economy.” In this regard, he added that it is necessary to commit to implementing “elements of pedagogical innovation to go to schools and explain that talking about the blue economy means talking about a much more reasonable, sustainable, and rational way of understanding the planet.”
For her part, Rossella Carrara, Vice President of Corporate Relations and Sustainability at Costa Cruises,states that “sustainability is a cross-cutting element integrated into everything we do at Costa Cruises. In addition to establishing more environmentally friendly policies and infrastructure, we consider it crucial to work towards having a positive impact on all the communities in which we operate. For this reason, it is a pleasure for us to be part of public-private partnerships that allow us to join forces and work towards a more responsible and sustainable future for the tourism industry.”
The projects that will now receive mentoring, training, and investor sessions are:
– Toroi Marine: high-precision naval propulsion project.
– Softwarine (Seven to six): digital transformation software in the nautical sector and marine environments.
– Keep Boat Afloat: Software that visually and interactively summarizes the boat owner's manual so that boaters, charter companies, marine insurance companies and shipyards have a useful tool on their mobile phones to diagnose accidents and act in emergency situations.
– Meditmin: a registered trademark, very similar to traditional fertilizer but derived from a natural compound made from the waste produced by salt flats. It is a project focused on the green economy and the circular economy in an open-loop model. This patented formulation nourishes and strengthens the plant, makes it more resistant to drought, and consequently reduces the need for pesticides and increases the nutritional value of the product.
– Noster: Democratizing the world of boating, renting and providing access to motorboats or small yachts.
– SOS Bag: transforming used life rafts into a sustainable fashion and clothing brand.
– 3D Port: Revaluing plastic waste from the sea, the port, and its surroundings to offer useful solutions in the logistics and port sector. The products will be manufactured in an innovation center located in the port using 3D printing of recycled marine plastics.
– Sup2Go: a new app for booking water sports and also a Smart SURF Center, that is, smart lockers to make it easier for SUP or Surf lovers to enjoy their sport, self-managing the booking, payment and collection/return of the equipment at the time they want, without depending on schedules and staff.
– Blue Jobs: A job placement platform specializing in the marine and maritime sector at the European level.
– Big Blue: sportswear and workwear made from plastic waste, most of which comes from our oceans. Our workshop involves children from the Lexia school in Barcelona, as well as people participating in the RGM program. Big Blue Barcelona promotes the social and solidarity economy, committed to sustainability and supporting local consumption.
– Share Your Board: A collaborative digital platform in the context of the green and sustainable economy. It is aimed at the surfing community. It offers its users the possibility of sharing their surfboards and paddleboards.
The projects receive all the necessary resources through training, networking, tailored tutoring, and mentoring, with Barcelona Activa and the UPC program partners, Clúster Nàutic and Seasteainable Ventures. After three months, one of these startups will receive the Most Sustainable Startup Award, with a prize of €10,000 awarded by Costa Cruises; while another startup will receive the Most Innovative Startup Award, also with €10,000, awarded by the Port of Barcelona.
The Blue-Up program was developed and designed through public-private partnerships and is part of Barcelona's strategy to promote a sustainable maritime economy in the city. It also aims to foster entrepreneurship, innovation, talent, and employment related to the sea.
The Port of Barcelona, which has made sustainability and innovation the cornerstones of its 4th Strategic Plan 2021-2025, is hosting programs at its facilities that facilitate the development of new blue economy projects. In this regard, the port is launching initiatives such as the Port of Barcelona Innovation Plan and the future Blue Tech Port, which aim to attract projects that will boost innovation and digitalization within Barcelona's logistics and port ecosystem.
