ATLANTIC BLUE ECONOMY PORTS CLUSTERS NETWORK WORKSHOP FOR ATLANTIC PORTS September 8, 2021

During last months, within the AspBAN project the series of workshops related to the creation of Atlantic Blue Economy Ports Clusters Network took a place. These events are part of Work Package 3, leaded by Kaleido Tech which main objective is to establish a dynamic Atlantic Port network to promote innovation among the smart Atlantic Ports with a special focus on small and medium ports of the Atlantic Strategy Group member countries, overcoming the fragmentation and disparity between them and improving the efficiency and competitiveness of port communities. We had a pleasure to host representatives from different Port communities.

During the workshops the Ports were given a short overview of the call objectives and expected results. The Ports also received some practical inputs for identification and prioritization of innovation challenges of the Port activity areas related to the Blue Economy space as well as some good practices to establish a close collaboration with startups that promote an ideal work methodology to achieve the goal set. At the end of the sessions a debate with the presented Ports was developed. The participants shared their challenges, learnings and experiences of their so far activities related to Blue Economy and open innovation and collaboration with startups. The Ports have also received the eGuide (find it here (link to deliverable)!) which aimed to help Ports become an innovation-friendly space. The next step is to identify the blue economy challenges faced by Atlantic Ports which soon will be published on the project website. Stay tuned!

Ports’ needs and problems identified will help AspBAN project to grow a tailored acceleration program to increase the possibilities of developing innovative solutions from start-ups that respond effectively to their needs, challenges, and priorities.

AspBAN can only become a long-term success if a large and active community makes use of services, tools and resources that it provides. Our goal is to grow a vibrant and active community including all stakeholders.

If you are Port Authority or part of Port Community we would like to invite you to join our community by adding your entity to AspBAN Port Community Database. The AspBAN success critically depends on the close collaboration and cooperation with many different stakeholders from industry!