Last Wednesday 4th September, the Assembly Hall of the Port Authority of the Bay of Algeciras hosted the conference entitled ‘Next initiatives of digital entrepreneurship in the Campo de Gibraltar’, in which the attendees could know in depth key issues for open innovation and entrepreneurship, such as the RETECH Programme in the Port of Algeciras, the future of the future Industry 4.0 Hub of La Línea de la Concepción and the WISeSmartContainers Project.
The conference was led by Juan Antonio Herrera, Head of Innovation at the APBA, and was attended by the Director General of the Port Authority, José Luis Hormaechea; as well as the Mayor of La Línea, Juan Franco; the Delegate Councillor for Economic Development, Employment and Industry of Algeciras, Álvaro Márquez; representatives of the Digital Agency of Andalusia; and distinguished companies of the Port Community of the Bay of Algeciras.
Jesús Medina, Head of the Technological Development Area of the APBA, was in charge of opening with the welcome message, highlighting that, despite being a session framed in the activity of the own Innovation Committee of the Port of Algeciras Bay, he wanted to extend it to the whole Port Community due to the great development opportunities presented for the region. In his speech, he stressed that ‘innovation and digital transformation play a key role for the Port of Algeciras, where the aim is to develop a local digital ecosystem at the forefront of the sector, capable of offering the competitive advantages that these provide’.
The first part of the session was led by Carlos Moreira, Founder & CEO at WISeKey, who spoke via video call as he was unable to attend the event in person. In his speech, entitled ‘Cybersecurity and Satellite Technology in the logistics-port sector – Synergies with LLG4IR’, Moreira highlighted the importance of joining the new wave of decentralisation in the technology sector as part of the fourth industrial revolution. According to him, ‘there is a unique opportunity to dynamise the Campo de Gibraltar and its port sector through centres of excellence that provide technological value’. He also emphasised the importance of digital training, the implementation of concrete projects and the creation of favourable ecosystems for entrepreneurship.
Afterwards, Ignacio Moldes, CIO of AvantIoT, and Carlos Moreno, Vice President of Alliances and Partnerships of WISeKey, took the floor to present the progress of the disruptive project called ‘WISeSmartContainer’. Both highlighted the differential value of this initiative, as all key elements – software, IoT devices, communications and cybersecurity – are developed from a holistic perspective within the consortium itself. This approach has facilitated new collaboration agreements given the great potential of the solution, such as the one announced during the conference: Bernardino Abad, the logistics group from Cádiz, will equip its fleet of containers with the new WISeSmartContainer IoT sensors. In addition, a Proof of Concept (PoC) will be initiated with the company Tránsitos y Transportes Logísticos to test this technology on tractor units and trailers.
The day closed with the last presentation, entitled ‘RETECH: port-logistics node’, where José Antonio González, Technical Advisor of the Digital Agency of Andalusia, and Maria Nieto, RETECH Project Manager at Sandetel, covered the current situation of the digital entrepreneurship node to be developed in the Port of Algeciras. Both focused on the fact that ‘this initiative comes to add capabilities and facilitate the technological development of specific projects’, thanks to the convergence between technology and talent that the node will provide, along with the provision of services for entrepreneurship and open innovation, advanced equipment and financial support for disruptive projects. They also highlighted the fundamental role that the APBA will play as a local partner in attracting companies, SMEs and startups, with which to boost solutions to the challenges of the sector.
Finally, it should be noted that representatives of the Seville-based company Global Radio Systems, specialised in the development of advanced communication systems, who have recently partnered with WISeKey, also took part in the conference.
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