Members of the University of Magdalena, the Chamber of Commerce of Santa Marta, the Magdalena Business Association and the Tayrona Free Trade Zone have seen first-hand the projects of the Cádiz Consortium
The State delegate, Fran González, explained details about the activity of the Cádiz tax facility and showed them the new Incubazul Base Zone building, while they attended the demo carried out by one of the incubated startups.
In addition to the work meetings in the Consortium, in the afternoon they held a meeting with the CEIMar, an organization of which the University of Magdalena has been a member since 2023.
A delegation from the Colombian town of Santa Marta is getting to know first-hand the Blue Economy ecosystem of the Cádiz Free Zone, with the aim of using it as a model and reference to replicate it on the other side of the Atlantic and export the model implemented by the Cádiz Consortium to that country, after the contacts initiated in Innovazul Caribe 2024 when those responsible for the Cádiz Free Zone participated together with those from the University of Cádiz in that forum.
The delegation, made up of officials from the University of Magdalena, the Tayrona Free Trade Zone, the Magdalena Business Association and the Santa Marta Chamber of Commerce, began their first day in Cádiz today with a visit to the fiscal premises, where the State delegate, Fran González, showed them the activity carried out by the Consortium, its equipment throughout the province, focusing especially on the new industry 4.0 model with the Blue Economy as the central axis and its Incubazul and Blue Core projects.
In fact, the delegation took a tour of the tax area that culminated in a visit to the new Incubazul Base Zone recycled maritime container building, which has aroused enormous interest among attendees, who have also been able to learn the details about the startup acceleration and consolidation program and the experience of one of the incubated projects.
The representatives of the different Colombian entities have also been able to verify “in situ” the work carried out by the Free Trade Zone as a catalyst for opportunities and transfer of knowledge for the creation of a new innovative and highly technological economic model, an engine for attracting and retaining talent.
This visit is essential for the development and replication of the ecosystem model configured by the Cádiz Free Zone in its area of influence towards Latin America, specifically Colombia since the entities that make up the delegation are of great importance to be able to carry it out, also counting on the support of the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean (CAF) as an essential tool for financing despite not having been able to attend the visit.
The contacts began in 2024 during the celebration of Innovazul Caribe in the Colombian municipality of Santa Marta, a meeting organized by the University of Magdalena in which the Zona Franca participated together with the University of Cádiz and in which Fran González already presented the model of industry, innovation and Blue Economy that was being developed in Cádiz and which was highly applauded by the attendees.
Within the framework of Innovazul Caribe 2024, Zona Franca de Cádiz expanded the network of international alliances of Incubazul, forging very fruitful links with the University of Magdalena, which is also part of CEIMAR and has one of the largest campuses in the region, due to the real need to share knowledge and real experiences around innovation and the Blue Economy as driving forces of the territories. In fact, it is the only university in Latin America internationally accredited as an Engaged University for its high quality and impact on the territories.
During 'Innovazul Caribe 2024', the priority around a Blue Economy strategy in Andalusia, Spain, Europe and Latin America was also put on the table and on the agenda of public and private actors on both sides of the Atlantic. An agenda that brought together universities, technology incubators, research centers, companies and professionals related to the Blue Economy around the same space, allowing the connection of activities between several oceans, the Pacific and Atlantic, and seas such as the Caribbean and the Mediterranean.
Fran González, who has since had a very active participation to establish alliances with Latin America and strengthen the ecosystem of the Cádiz Consortium, has described the visit of the Colombian delegation "as transcendental for the objective set by both countries - Spain and Colombia - to begin the replication on the other side of the Atlantic of the Cádiz model, a similar ecosystem with connections on both sides of the Atlantic and with the common objective of working for the development of the territories with a committed, sustainable and innovative vision."
The delegate of the Cádiz Free Zone added that "Santa Marta is an ideal potential territory to be able to replicate it, since it has a strategic location, a connection point for the Greater Caribbean with access to international markets; a biocultural heritage with unique marine ecosystems and ancestral knowledge of indigenous and fishing communities; a powerful infrastructure, with a committed university, free zones and active ports, as well as human talent, with a diverse community with traditional skills and innovative knowledge."
The first day of the Colombian mission to Cádiz concluded in the afternoon with a work meeting with the CEIMar Board of Trustees, an entity of which the University of Magdalena is a part, which in 2023 became the first in Latin America to enter as a full patron of this prestigious international campus led by the University of Cádiz.