Blue Zone Forum InnovAzul will celebrate a new edition in Cádiz on October 28, 29, and 30 under the slogan 'Projecting in blue', with a program focused on the main challenges and opportunities related to the Blue Economy. The meeting will bring together companies, entrepreneurs, researchers, institutions, students, and specialists and will feature greater international participation this year.
The delegate of the State in the Free Zone of Cádiz, Fran González, and the rector of the University of Cádiz (UCA), Casimiro Mantell, presented this Monday at the facilities of Incubazul the main lines of the call, jointly organized by both institutions and in which the International Excellence Campus of the Sea (CEIMAR) and the European University of the Seas (SEA-EU) also participate.
The program will combine presentations, discussions, workshops, professional meetings, exhibitions, immersive experiences, networking spaces, and exhibition areas. Among the scheduled topics are ocean conservation, Artificial Intelligence, cybersecurity, sustainable coastal tourism, aquaculture, business innovation, and the decarbonization of maritime transport.
The 2026 edition will coincide in Cádiz with the XXIX Conference of Free Zones of Ibero-America, to which representatives of free zones, institutions, and entities from different countries will attend. The organization links this coincidence with the intention to expand international connections of the meeting and the business ecosystem related to the Blue Economy developed in Cádiz.
Fran González has stated that Blue Zone Forum InnovAzul 'represents the consolidation of a model we have built by adding capabilities' and has indicated that the goal is to increase the scale of the ecosystem created around the university, knowledge, innovation, entrepreneurship, and business.
The delegate of the Free Zone has also related internationalization to market opening, knowledge exchange, and talent and investment attraction. In this context, he mentioned the actions recently developed in Costa Rica, Peru, and Colombia and the possibility of establishing relationships that may later lead to projects and economic activity.
On his part, Casimiro Mantell has placed UCA's international collaboration within initiatives such as SEA-EU and CEIMAR and has defended the transformation of scientific knowledge into applications related to ocean protection and the needs of the productive fabric.
The rector has also linked university research to biodiversity, climate change, entrepreneurship, knowledge transfer, technology-based companies, biotechnology, and marine renewable energies. Likewise, he has related these areas to the training of young people for the so-called green and blue jobs.
The first day, scheduled for Wednesday, October 28, will begin with the institutional inauguration and an opening presentation before moving on to simultaneous activities in different spaces of the Cádiz Congress Palace.
The program on that day will address regenerative aquaculture and offshore mariculture, from traditional marsh farming to ocean cultivation; technology, Artificial Intelligence, and cybersecurity; and sustainable coastal tourism and marine ecotourism, including solutions proposed in response to the impact of tourism activities on coastal areas.
Entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems, projects associated with the new Blue Economy, UCA Blue Talent, and Biotech Azul will also be discussed. A Hackathon on Artificial Intelligence dedicated to challenges related to the blue field will be part of these activities.
The day will also include 'From the Ocean to Space: Exploring the Blue Frontiers', with analog astronauts from the University of Cádiz, and Sea Starlight, an immersive experience that will link the sea, history, and the cosmos.
On Thursday the 29th, the agenda will incorporate issues related to the function of oceans, international projects, training and new professional capacities, blue innovation, and financing from the European Union.
The decarbonization of maritime transport and so-called green ports will also be part of the program under the approach 'Zero emissions on the global highway'. During this day, there will also be contact spaces between research groups linked to the Blue Economy and companies, along with a forum on ocean research, impact, and policies.
One of the novelties of this edition will be the Blue Economy Job Fair, to be held on Thursday the 29th in the exhibition area. Its purpose will be to connect companies with individuals interested in job opportunities and internships in sectors related to the Blue Economy.
The fair will feature spaces for interviews, workshops, and networking, and will incorporate activities such as 'Design your blue CV' and 'Blue Talent Matching', aimed at connecting professional profiles and companies.
The organization also plans to expand the participation of Secondary, High School, and University students. The goal is for them to learn about the experiences of researchers, entrepreneurs, and companies and to have information on academic and professional opportunities available in sectors related to science, digitalization, innovation, and sustainability.
The day of Friday the 30th will include a new edition of the Blue Woman Forum, dedicated to the participation and leadership of women in sectors related to the sea. The space will address their presence in areas such as research, business, entrepreneurship, and innovation.
The program will conclude that same Friday after a discussion and the last activities of an edition that will combine scientific, business, academic, and professional content.
Knowledge transfer will be another of the axes of the meeting. The exhibition spaces and networking activities will aim to facilitate contact between companies, startups, researchers, investors, and institutions, and to present business projects and entrepreneurial initiatives linked to different segments of the Blue Economy.
The collaboration between the Free Zone and the University of Cádiz also aims to connect research and scientific and technological capacities of the academic field with the needs of companies and entrepreneurs.
Within this framework, projects of the Free Zone such as Incubazul and Blue Core are positioned, with which the Consortium has expanded its activity from idea and startup acceleration to support the growth and consolidation of companies related to the Blue Economy.
The agenda will also include a cultural aspect related to Cádiz and its territory, through an artistic exhibition and various musical performances.
Blue Zone Forum InnovAzul 2026 will be the second edition organized jointly by the Free Zone and the University of Cádiz and, at the same time, the fourth edition of both Blue Zone Forum and InnovAzul.
Blue Zone Forum began in 2023 under the organization of the Free Zone of Cádiz, with special attention to entrepreneurship and innovation. In 2024 it was held together with the University of Cádiz under the name Blue Zone Forum InnovAzul, while in 2025 the Blue Zone Forum Navalia Meeting took place, with shipbuilding among its main contents.
Collaboration with UCA returns this year in accordance with the plan to hold the InnovAzul format during even-numbered years. The communicated planning for the next editions contemplates dedicating specific attention to aquaculture in 2027 and marine renewable energies in 2029.
InnovAzul, organized by the University of Cádiz and the International Excellence Campus of the Sea, held its first edition in 2018 as the International Meeting of Blue Knowledge and Growth. Since then, its approach has focused on the Blue Economy, sustainability, knowledge transfer, entrepreneurship, and the connection between scientific research, public administrations, and the business fabric.
Coinciding with the presentation of the 2026 edition, the organization opened this Monday the registration period to participate in the days through the official website of the meeting.
Blue Zone Forum InnovAzul 2026 is integrated into the ZF Blue Core-4.0 Business Incubator project, financed 85% by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), within the Spain Pluriregional Operational Program ERDF 2021-2027 and through the INCYDE Foundation.
