Port Digitalization Grants: “PORTS 4.0” Fund Subsidies

Spain faces the freeze of economic activity to stop the spread of COVID-19 with a business ecosystem that lags significantly behind our European peers in digitalization.

Puertos del Estado is promoting an ambitious plan to foster digitalization and entrepreneurship in the port logistics ecosystem through the creation of Portlabs, where startups and companies cooperate to develop innovative projects and ideas that help optimize and increase the efficiency of port-related activities.

At LISDATA, we are beneficiaries of the Ports 4.0 Fund.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP BOOST PLAN FOR INNOVATION IN THE PORT SECTOR

Last year, Spain reached number 24 on the “Enabling Digitalization Index” led by the US, Germany, and Denmark with decisive corporate digitalization strategies, while here, the lack of investment by companies in digital transformation and staff training has become even more apparent with the Coronavirus crisis.

In recent decades, the global era and the digitalization of purchasing processes have expanded the boom in trade and logistics worldwide, as well as the industries that feed it, infrastructure development, transport, and the logistics that connect them. However, energy consumption, waste generation, and environmental damage have also skyrocketed, exerting unsustainable exploitation of the planet’s resources. This represents an inexorable responsibility for industry and society. It is time to provide the available means and implement innovation that transforms business and logistics processes to make them more rational, efficient, and environmentally responsible.

The Spanish port sector is no stranger to these needs, and these port digitalization grants aim to provide solutions and bring new tools to the market that, in addition to providing greater competitive capacity and profitability, promote environmental and energy sustainability.

Last year, Spain reached number 24 on the “Enabling Digitalization Index” for digitalization

The “Ports 4.0” innovation grant fund, in addition to being oriented toward financing any stage of the innovation process, is associated with promoting the application of clearly disruptive new technologies and the development of processes that improve efficiency or propose new business models based on the verticals of Economy 4.0, such as the application of Big Data technologies, Internet of Things (IoT), Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics, Automation, 3D Printing, Digital Twins, Machine Learning (ML), Virtual Reality (VR), and Augmented Reality (AR).

LINES OF ACTION

The grant program proposes two possible ways to apply for subsidies: presenting an idea to be developed or launching a project that has already been conceived.

 

The first option will consist of a proposal resulting from research or technology that has been successfully tested in a laboratory, in a physical or digital environment. On the other hand, the project modality will be oriented toward innovative solutions that can be implemented in one or several ports, either in a pre-commercial phase or in an already tested scaling or commercial phase of innovative technology.

Eligible ideas and projects fall within four lines of action:

• Logistics efficiency in the infrastructural, operational, or service delivery fields.
• Environmental sustainability and energy.
• Safety and security.
• Digitalization of processes and smart platforms.
• Any other process or product with an impact on the port sector: safety, efficiency, sustainability, and digitalization.

TRADETECH IN THE GENESIS OF PORTS 4.0 OR SMART PORTS

The TradeTech concept refers to those disruptive technologies or solutions that allow for the transformation of businesses or operations related to commercial exchange and its associated logistics, such as freight transit, fishing activity, passenger or vehicle transport, distribution, storage, safety and security, infrastructure construction and maintenance, logistics assets, and even tourism and recreational uses.

Until recently, the maritime industry sector presented itself as a highly specialized and consolidated closed ecosystem. But at the same time, the maritime industry has always been a driver of technical improvements due to the intrinsic needs that arise when crossing horizons and conquering new seas. For these reasons, the port logistics field cannot ignore the technological transformation taking place in these times of ours.

The Ports 4.0 fund provides the ideal framework for innovation in the logistics-port sector, providing financial support, necessary training, and offering its infrastructure and collaboration as a 4.0 testbed or Portlab.

The format is motivating and inspiring; instead of a company or Port Authority launching a challenge for a solution to be developed and then having to contract the awarded solution without having proven its effectiveness, the “PORTS 4.0” CAPITAL FUND favors collaboration in an open innovation format from the beginning with companies, from the start of strategy design to the development of the overall solution, integrating the technology approach into the solutions from the outset.