The Cádiz Free Zone and Navantia Seanergies have formalized a collaboration agreement that will allow the public company to set up a permanent innovation office at Incubazul, the high-tech incubator promoted by the Cadiz Consortium for the development of projects linked to the Blue Economy.
The agreement develops the memorandum of intentions signed by both entities last December and establishes a framework for collaboration between Navantia Seanergies and the business, technological, and entrepreneurial ecosystem associated with Incubazul and with the projects of the Cádiz Free Zone related to industry 4.0 and the Blue Economy, including Blue Core.
Navantia Seanergies will have a permanent space in the Incubazul building, constructed from recycled shipping containers. The office will function as a territorial innovation node of the Navantia Seanergies COEX Green Energies in Western Andalusia and will be aimed at developing actions related to open innovation, knowledge transfer, and entrepreneurship linked to maritime and energy activities.
From these facilities, the company will work on the technological maturation of solutions related to offshore wind, green hydrogen, and other sustainable energies linked to the marine environment. The planned model includes the participation of companies, startups, technology centers, and research, development, and innovation agents.
The collaboration will not be limited to the physical presence of Navantia Seanergies in the building. The agreement also establishes its participation in the juries responsible for selecting the entrepreneurial projects that may join Incubazul, in addition to its presence at hackathons, technical sessions, awareness activities, and other meetings related to the Blue Economy.
For its part, the Cádiz Free Zone will provide Navantia Seanergies with information about the projects that are in the acceleration phase within the incubator, with the aim of identifying possible technological cooperation avenues between the company and the participating startups.
The first action resulting from the agreement is expected this autumn. Navantia Seanergies will organize a session at the Incubazul facilities aimed at the entrepreneurial ecosystem where it will present its business lines, technological capabilities, and areas of interest regarding innovation.
The meeting will be aimed at locating, together with startups, companies, and entities linked to entrepreneurship, solutions that could have industrial applications. The planned areas include offshore wind, renewable hydrogen, naval and offshore industry, industrial digitization and automation, artificial intelligence, maritime-port logistics, environmental sustainability, and the circular economy.
The agreement thus establishes a direct channel between an industrial company linked to the naval sector and marine energies and the emerging companies that develop their projects in the context of Incubazul. The cooperation includes knowledge transfer, identifying collaborative projects, and seeking public and private funding opportunities related to Blue Economy initiatives.
The State Delegate in the Cádiz Free Zone, Fran González, has stated that the incorporation of Navantia Seanergies will expand collaboration possibilities for startups and facilitate technological transfer between the entrepreneurial fabric and an industrial company active in sectors related to the sea.
"Having a leading company like Navantia within our ecosystem will generate new collaboration opportunities for startups, accelerate technological transfer, and strengthen a model that positions Cádiz as a national benchmark in economy linked to the sea," González stated.
The director of Navantia Seanergies, Javier Herrador, pointed out that Incubazul offers the company the possibility of establishing a direct relationship with emerging companies, entrepreneurs, and other agents linked to the Blue Economy in the province of Cádiz.
"Incubazul gives us a unique opportunity to reinforce our commitment to open innovation and connect directly with startups, entrepreneurs, and key agents of the Blue Economy in the Cádiz area," Herrador affirmed.
The arrival of Navantia Seanergies incorporates into the Incubazul ecosystem a company with industrial activity in fields such as offshore wind and green hydrogen. Its presence will enable contacts with startups, universities, technology centers, and research groups linked to the incubator and study possible industrial applications for the technologies developed by these agents.
The agreement also reflects the intention of the Cádiz Free Zone and Navantia Seanergies to explore new lines of collaboration in entrepreneurship, technological innovation, and projects linked to the Blue Economy, within the strategy maintained by both entities in the province.