The first Spanish woman selected as a reserve astronaut for the European Space Agency will be in charge of giving the opening conference of the meeting, which will be held from October 28 to 30
Molecular biologist and researcher specialized in cancer and precision medicine, she leads a research group dedicated to the development of new drugs against lung and pancreatic cancer.
Take the baton from Céline Cousteau, Odile Rodríguez de la Fuente and Gunter Pauli, in charge of the inaugural conferences of previous editions of the Blue Zone Forum
Astronaut and researcher Sara García Alonso will be in charge of delivering the inaugural conference of Blue Zone Forum InnovAzul 2026, which will be held in Cádiz from October 28 to 30 under the motto “Projecting in blue”, organized jointly by the Cádiz Free Trade Zone and the University of Cádiz.
García Alonso thus becomes the first major speaker announced for an edition that will bring together companies, entrepreneurs, researchers, institutions, students and experts in the capital of Cadiz to address the main challenges and opportunities of the Blue Economy from innovation, knowledge, sustainability and entrepreneurship.
Sara García Alonso is the first Spanish woman selected as a reserve astronaut for the European Space Agency (ESA). Molecular biologist and researcher specialized in cancer and precision medicine, she has a doctorate in Molecular Biology from the University of León and has developed part of her scientific career at the National Cancer Research Center (CNIO).
He currently leads a research group aimed at developing new drugs against lung and pancreatic cancer. In 2022 she was selected by ESA within the new promotion of European astronauts, which has made her one of the most recognized Spanish figures linked to space, science and innovation. He also combines his research work with outstanding informative activity.
The election of Sara García Alonso reflects the commitment of its organizers to knowledge, innovation and talent as engines to face the great challenges of the future. His trajectory represents the ability of science to cross borders and connect disciplines, and also to awaken vocations and inspire new generations. This is precisely one of the objectives of a forum that wants to bring, especially to young people, the professional, scientific and business opportunities that are emerging.
With her presence, Sara García Alonso takes the baton of the big names who have starred in the inaugural conferences of the Blue Zone Forum since its birth. The filmmaker, explorer and environmental activist Céline Cousteau opened the first edition of the meeting; Odile Rodríguez de la Fuente, disseminator and defender of the environment, was in charge of opening the next edition; and Gunter Pauli, entrepreneur and international leader linked to the concept of the Blue Economy, starred in the opening of the 2025 edition. The incorporation of García Alonso thus maintains the forum's vocation to open each edition with profiles of international projection from fields such as science, sustainability, innovation and dissemination.
His conference will give way to a program that for three days will combine presentations, colloquiums, workshops, professional meetings, immersive experiences, networking spaces and exhibition areas. Among its contents will be the oceans as a guarantee of life, technology, Artificial Intelligence and cybersecurity, sustainable coastal tourism, aquaculture, innovation and the decarbonization of maritime transport.
Blue Zone Forum InnovAzul 2026 will be the second edition of the joint format organized by the Free Zone of Cádiz and the University of Cádiz and will have a special international dimension this year, coinciding in the city with the XXIX Conference of Free Zones of Ibero-America, which begins on October 26.
The meeting will also incorporate a Blue Economy Job Fair, designed to connect talent and companies, and a new edition of the Blue Woman Forum, focused on the impact of female leadership in sectors linked to the sea.
Blue Zone Forum InnovAzul seeks to convert Cádiz for three days into a space for connecting science, business, innovation and entrepreneurship, favoring the transfer of knowledge, the generation of new professional and business opportunities and the international projection of the Blue Economy ecosystem developed in the province.
Registration to participate in Blue Zone Forum InnovAzul 2026 remains open through the official website of the meeting https://www.proyectandoenazul.es/.
The Blue Zone Forum InnovAzul 2026 is part of the ZF Blue Core-Business Incubator 4.0 project, 85% financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) within the Pluriregional Operational Program of Spain FEDER 2021-2027, through the INCYDE Foundation.