The participants of the Ventotene Forum Cádiz 2026 have visited the Incubazul Base Zone building to learn first-hand about the Blue Economy ecosystem developed by the Cadiz Consortium
Incubazul and Blue Core represent two stages of a model that accompanies projects from their first ideas to their business consolidation
The delegate, Fran González, highlights the importance of showing in other countries how European funds are being translated in Cádiz into new spaces, projects and opportunities linked to innovation and the Blue Economy
More than 120 young people from different parts of Europe, participants in the Ventotene Forum Cádiz 2026 organized by the JEF Andalucía youth association, have visited the Incubazul facilities to learn first-hand about the economic transformation model that the Cádiz Free Trade Zone is promoting through innovation, entrepreneurship and the development of the Blue Economy.
The visit took place within the framework of the first edition of the Ventotene Forum held in Spain, an international meeting that is bringing together young Europeans in Cádiz, from September 9 to 13, to debate the great challenges of the future of Europe. The forum program includes debates, workshops, cultural activities and various initiatives aimed at promoting the participation and commitment of European youth.
The State delegate in the Free Trade Zone of Cádiz, Fran González, has especially valued the opportunity that this visit represents to show outside of Cádiz the impact of the projects that are being developed within the framework of the Consortium's transformation strategy. “It is important that these young people can see directly in Cádiz what the arrival of European funds means when there is a strategy to manage them, convert them into concrete projects and put them at the service of the economic transformation of the territory,” he noted.
The president of the Young European Federalists of Andalusia (JEF Andalucía) and president of the Youth Council of Andalusia, José Juan Timermans, highlighted that the visit has been “inspiring” by showing how European funds are translated into real, innovative and job-generating projects linked to the Blue Economy. In his opinion, "this space constitutes a perfect showcase to demonstrate to European youth that Cádiz, in addition to standing out for its History, its heritage and its gastronomy, continues to be an engine of young talent, transformation and future."
During their tour of Incubazul, participants have been able to learn how the Free Trade Zone in Cádiz is developing an ecosystem specialized in the Blue Economy that aims to accompany companies in the different stages of their evolution, from the first phases of a business idea to its consolidation.
Incubazul, the starting point for new business ideas
Incubazul is the High Technology Incubator specialized in the Blue Economy of the Cádiz Free Trade Zone and constitutes the first step of this model. Its objective is to accompany entrepreneurs and business projects in their initial phases, helping them convert innovative ideas linked to the sea into viable business initiatives.
The program offers selected projects a support and acceleration itinerary that combines specialized mentoring, advice and connections with the business, technological and knowledge ecosystem. Since its launch, Incubazul has already supported more than a hundred projects linked to various areas of the Blue Economy.
The initiative has had an investment of more than 5.5 million euros, of which 4.6 million have been raised from European funds, which is also contributing to the recovery and transformation of spaces in the Free Zone to put them at the service of new business projects.
Blue Core, the next step to grow and consolidate projects
The model continues with ZF Blue Core, the 4.0 business incubator specialized in the Blue Economy that Zona Franca is developing as a complement and continuity of Incubazul.
If Incubazul works especially on the first stages of projects, Blue Core is conceived as a transition and consolidation space for initiatives that need to take another step in their development. The objective is for companies to continue growing, develop their technological and digital capabilities, advance in innovation and research and gain the necessary autonomy to fully join the business ecosystem.
Blue Core is also not limited to projects from Incubazul, but is open to innovative companies linked to the Blue Economy that need a suitable environment for their development. The project includes two 4.0 company buildings, with a combined useful area of close to 9,000 square meters, and a global investment of 10.3 million euros.
It is 85% financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) within the Pluriregional Operational Program of Spain 2021-2027, within the framework of priority P1A of the High Technology Nurseries 4.0 Incubators Program, intended to promote a digital and intelligent transition and, within it, in Specific Objective 1.3 “Strengthening the sustainable growth and competitiveness of SMEs and the creation of jobs in them, also through productive investments”.
In this way, Zona Franca is configuring a path that allows the creation, acceleration and consolidation of companies linked to the Blue Economy, articulating an ecosystem capable of accompanying projects in different phases of their evolution.
A window from Cádiz towards Europe
The visit of the participants of the Ventotene Forum has made it possible to show this model directly to young people from different European countries and to highlight the work that is being developed in Cádiz with the support of European funds. The forum has the support of the Andalusian Youth Institute, the Foreign Action Secretariat of the Junta de Andalucía and the Provincial Council of Cádiz.
JEF Andalucía itself, organizer of the Ventotene Forum, has highlighted among the objectives of its collaboration with the Consortium the opportunity to bring the work and impact of Zona Franca closer to more than 120 young leaders from all over Europe and to the European youth associative fabric.
For Zona Franca, this dissemination represents an opportunity for projects developed in Cádiz to be known directly by a new generation of European citizens, expanding the scope of the Blue Economy model that is being built in the province and favoring new connections with other territories, institutions and agents of the European ecosystem.
The visit is also part of the international nature of the Ventotene Forum itself, which has chosen Cádiz as the venue for its first Spanish edition and which places the city as a meeting point for the debate on the future of Europe. In this sense, the president of JEF Andalusia and the Andalusian Youth Council, José Juan Timermans, has highlighted the transatlantic dimension of Cádiz and its role as a link between Europe and Latin America.
The presence of these young Europeans in Incubazul thus allows us to show one of the transformations that Cádiz is experiencing: the construction of a Blue Economy ecosystem that, supported by European funds, seeks to generate new business opportunities, attract talent and innovation and project the potential of the province beyond its borders.