Ports 4.0 has increased the dynamism of start-ups in the sector and has accelerated the positioning of port authorities towards innovation. (GettyImages)
Ports 4.0 launches its second call for Commercial Ideas and Projects with 6.75 million euros
Ports 4.0 is back, after the success of its first edition. Its objective remains the same: to attract, support and facilitate the application of talent and entrepreneurship to the Spanish public and private logistics-port sector. This corporate open innovation model of Puertos del Estado and the Spanish Port Authorities has become the largest public fund for ideas and projects in port-logistics communities in Europe.
Posted on
11.18.2021
Alba González is Innovation Projects Technician at the Port de Barcelona.
Ports 4.0 has increased the dynamism of start-ups in the sector and has accelerated the positioning of port authorities towards innovation. (GettyImages)
More funding for the second edition of Ports 4.0
This second call of the Ports 4.0 fund has increased its allocation by 50% compared to the previous year, with a total amount of €6,750,000 to be distributed as follows:
- IDEAS: €750,000, of which €105,000 will be allocated to intra-entrepreneurship. Subsidies for this modality may apply until 21 December 2021.
- COMMERCIAL PROJECTS: €6,000,000. The deadline for applications is 21 January 2022.
The Regulatory Bases of the second call are governed by the same ministerial order as the previous call. The main evaluation criteria are as follows:
- Based on one or more of the following four pillars:
- Logistical efficiency in the infrastructural, operational or service provision areas.
- Environmental sustainability and energy.
- Safety and security.
- Digitalisation of processes and smart platforms.
- Possess a certain, demonstrable and clearly defined innovative component, at least in terms of scope, content and costs, as well as not existing on the market, both nationally and internationally, for its application in the logistics-port sector.
- Demonstrate the results of the previous phases achieved in the case of products or services with a consolidated degree of maturity.
- Business plan of the product or service in the case of projects, and Canvas model in the case of ideas.
- Support letters or certificates issued by Port Authorities or other agents of the logistics-port sector (especially potential clients).
The winning ideas will be awarded a fixed amount of €15,000 to enable them to carry out a proof of concept and reach the TRL 3 required to reach the pre-commercial project category.
For projects in the commercial phase, support will consist of a maximum amount of 80% of the costs associated in the project budget with the innovation component, with a maximum limit of €2,000,000.
In both cases there is the possibility of accessing acceleration or advisory services to speed the commercial deployment, growth and ensure the business success of the project. These services are established in the territorial headquarters of "Ports 4.0", the incubator-accelerator associated with the Plan to Promote Entrepreneurship for Innovation in the port sector.
The role of the ports
The Port Authority of Barcelona, as well as the rest of the State Port Authorities, provide support to ideas and projects that are of interest to them and that expressly request it. In the case of the Port of Barcelona (APB, in Spanish), those interested in requesting support from the APB should send their request to the e-mail address ports40@portdebarcelona.cat indicating the following information:
- Name of the company.
- Contact information: contact person, e-mail address and telephone number.
- Name of the project.
- Summary of the project (2 pages).
- Amount requested from Ports 4.0 (in the case of projects).
- Support requested from the APB (role required from the APB, characteristics of the support, etc.).
With the aim of informing about the new call and supporting the maximum number of projects and ideas presented, the Port of Barcelona held an information day on Wednesday 24 November, with the participation of José Llorca (Head of Innovation at Puertos del Estado and the Ports 4.0 Fund), Carles Rúa (Head of Innovation at the Port of Barcelona) and examples of successful stories from the previous call: a representative of the winning idea 3D PND and another of the winning commercial project, CleverVolume.
The session explained in more detail what the fund consists of and how the Port Authority of Barcelona can support projects and ideas.
