The initiative, spearheaded by Port Olímpic and A Bordo Lab, is transforming a meeting point for the blue economy sector into a hub supporting and promoting solutions connected to the sea
This new phase will turn the ideas and challenges identified in the Port Olímpic Living Lab sessions into specific projects with an economic, social and environmental impact
The Port Olímpic Living Lab is launching a new phase as an incubator for blue economy projects with the goal of promoting innovative initiatives connected to the sea, sustainability, technology, sailing, the coast and new economic activity models associated with the maritime sector.
Following an initial phase that brought together leading stakeholders in the blue economy for discussions and co-creation work, the Port Olímpic Living Lab is shifting its focus to supporting projects. This new phase will turn the challenges and opportunities identified in the past year into proposals with the potential for real development.
The Port Olímpic Living Lab was created as a space for dialogue and collaboration open to companies, entrepreneurs, research staff, public authorities, organisations and professionals who are experts in the blue economy. Since it was launched in April 2025, the initiative has worked to foster connections among stakeholders in the sector and to strengthen a community that can generate synergies with the city’s economic, social and scientific networks.
In this new phase, the Port Olímpic is teaming up with A Bordo Lab to bolster its role as an urban blue innovation laboratory and a leading space for testing, developing and carrying out high-impact projects. It is also becoming the first port to launch a specialised blue innovation incubator of this kind, further strengthening its position as a touchstone in promoting the blue economy. This new incubation model was designed by A Bordo Lab.
The incubator will be geared towards initiatives that help meet the sector’s main challenges, such as the regeneration of marine and urban spaces, digital transformation, port sustainability, the circular economy, regenerative blue tourism, training new professionals and funding projects with environmental and social value.
The first initiative in this new phase will be the Shackleton Project, an A Bordo Lab programme that will bring together 16 entrepreneurial initiatives connected to the blue economy. The programme will combine mentoring, co-creation, connection with the ecosystem and preparation to validate the projects in a real-world environment. The call to participate opens this July.
A space to promote blue economy projects in the long term
To make this new phase possible, the Port Olímpic has set up a space at the Moll de la Marina which will serve as the headquarters of the Port Olímpic Living Lab and the focal point for its community. Designed as a flexible working, training and experimentation environment, it will support the development of projects within the blue ecosystem.
Participants will have access to co-working spaces, mentorships, co-creation sessions and programmes to develop skills in innovation, entrepreneurship, technology and funding applications, as well as activities to foster collaboration and the generation of ideas.
‘This new phase of the Port Olímpic Living Lab further establishes the Port Olímpic as a key space for promoting the blue economy in the city and a leader for maritime innovation,’ says Olga Cerezo, the director of the Port Olímpic. ‘After an initial phase listening to and engaging with the ecosystem, we’re now launching a model that will enable us to support, test and grow projects in a real port setting, creating new economic, social and environmental opportunities connected to the sea.’
‘The Port Olímpic is the first hub in the regenerative innovation model we’re promoting, providing a real-world environment for validating methodologies and tools that will define the future Network of Regenerative Ports of the Mediterranean,’ says Patrícia González, the director of A Bordo Lab. ‘The goal is to help ports innovate collaboratively, share knowledge and carry out triple-impact projects.’
A year of work with more than 200 participants to analyse and detect blue economy challenges
Over the past year, the Port Olímpic Living Lab rolled out a participatory process organised into eight topic-specific sessions with more than 200 participants, bringing together public authorities, companies, universities, research centres, organisations and professionals linked to the blue economy.
This process made it possible to build a diverse, cross-cutting blue economy community, identify the main shared challenges facing the sector and define the strategic foundations of the second phase of the Port Olímpic Living Lab. Key conclusions include the participants’ agreement on the need for ongoing experimentation spaces and mechanisms that help to transform ideas into projects with a real impact.
The participants reflected the diversity of the blue economy ecosystem, representing businesses, entrepreneurs, public authorities, universities, research centres and local organisations, as well as near parity between men and women.
