Port accessBilbao PortLab, the innovation hub of the Port of Bilbao, has taken part in the 50th General Assembly of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR), held recently in Crete. The event focused on the role of ports as ecosystems for speeding up a blue economy and sustainability.
More specifically, Julia Coppla spoke of the experiences and perspective of Bilbao PortLab at a round table on ports as hubs of the blue economy, which also included representatives from different stakeholders and regions such as Mathieu Bergé, Regional Councillor of New Aquitaine and representative of the Atlantic Arc Commission; Ira Lardinois, Manager of the POM West-Vlaanderen Cluster and representative of the North Sea; Sebastien Denaja, Regional Councillor of Occitania and representative of the Inter-Mediterranean Commission; and Nils-Olov Lindfors, Regional Councillor of Norrbotten, Sweden.
During the conference, Bilbao PortLab also took active part in various other activities and meetings, expanding the organisation’s network of contacts to identify synergies and create ever more opportunities for the innovation ecosystem of the Port of Bilbao.
About Bilbao PortLab
Bilbao PortLab, the innovation hub promoted by the Port of Bilbao and part of the Bilbao Port and River Foundation, has generated an ecosystem of some 400 different players from different backgrounds and with over 100 matches, or actual
connections, including 24 “triple matches” involving a challenge identified by the port community, a proposed solution to the challenge and funding for taking the subsequent project forward.
About the Atlantic Smart Ports Blue Acceleration Network
The event has been held within the framework of the Atlantic Smart Ports Blue Acceleration Network (AspBAN) project, an EU-funded initiative designed to foster innovation in the blue economy sector through the activation of maritime ports as innovation hubs. The aim of this project is for ports to diversify their business models and revenue streams, to contribute to a sustainable ocean economy and to play a strategic role as a launch pad for a new generation of blue businesses.
