1st Opentop Incubation Call

‌Motivation:
Ports are key drivers for the economy and trade, and their urban development has led to the growth of important port cities. Thanks to them, we can enjoy a multitude of consumer goods that are often manufactured in places far from our cities, and that is because of  the existence of ports and logistical infrastructures that allow these products to reach our homes quickly and safely in an efficient and competitive manner.

Ports therefore have a huge impact on our personal well-being and on the competitiveness of the business fabric in their areas of influence.However, the complexity of the activities and operations that take place in port facilities, as well as the difficulty for citizens to access the port (mainly due to security and safety restrictions) make it difficult to create links between citizens and the port ecosystem.

What are we looking for?
This challenge aims to bring the Port closer to citizens through the use of gamification. We are looking for projects of immersive, interactive, fun and attractive games with the potential to reinforce or improve citizens’ knowledge of the Port. These projects ideally shall provide an overview of the functions of the Port, its stakeholders, its activities and objectives from an attractive and fun perspective for the user. These solutions should also be accessible to all citizens, have a massive adoption, generate community and contribute to the widespread dissemination of the benefits of port activity in people’s daily lives.

‌Motivation:
The appearance of the container in the 1950s was the greatest revolution in the history of logistics, providing great flexibility in the transport of different goods, allowing economies of scale, significantly increasing the speed of operations and enhancing safety and reducing damage.

However, the commercial imbalances that have arisen over time throughout the logistics chain generate the need for the movement and storage of empty containers, which make up a high percentage of the total number of containers transported world-wide. Furthermore, despite a few recent technological developments, which promise to bring interesting incremental innovations in design and use, the container has hardly evolved since its inception.

What if we can eliminate the problem by using single-use containers? What if we can scrap a container that otherwise would be travelling back empty? What if we can recycle the material of the container and rebuild it on demand? What if we improve at the same time the characteristics of the container, improving its performance?

Come and re-invent with us the maritime container to revolutionise this industry bringing new and disruptive ideas. 

What are we looking for?
We have in mind new concepts of containers, based on new materials, smart, more efficient, single-use, recyclable and sustainable, and also new manufacturing and recycling processes (e.g. 3D printing, …), compatibles with the principles of circular economy, with further carbon footprint reduction in respect to current containers’ lifecycle. We are looking for early stage companies that apply new materials and technologies to create the container of the future.

‌Motivation:
Ports’ facilities represent crucial hubs in the logistics network, linking maritime transport to the hinterland and finally to the customers through different transport modes. Air pollution has an important impact on the environment of ports and their surrounding city areas, though. By providing dedicated solutions within ports, air pollutants can be reduced significantly, leading to healthier cities.

On the other hand, over the last decade, the European Commission has stressed the urgent need to decarbonise the transport sector and improve environmental performance in the fight against climate change, committing to cutting emissions by at least 55% by 2030. Valenciaport goes beyond this ambitious target, and aims to achieve net-zero emissions by that time.

Achieving net-zero emissions is one of the most critical challenges for ports around the world, which are already seeking solutions to mitigate the environmental burden of their operations. To meet that goal, ports must adaptate their facilities to the evolution of the different transport modes. Within this context, innovations across the entire logistics chain have become the central axes of the new smart-port paradigm.

What are we looking for?
We are looking for early stage startups with tech solutions that can provide a significant step forward in the reduction of net gas emissions in ports. As examples, the following technologies could be of interest: CO2 capture or compensation systems, micro/mini renewable energy generation applicable in the port environment, energy mix optimization and management solutions with positive and tangible impact in the reduction of emissions, tech solutions to enable the transportation and storage of alternative fuels, monitoring environmental performance data used for optimising ship operations, etc.