The Port Authority of the Bay of Algeciras (APBA) has participated in the CTX Tech Experience Seville Hub 2026, an international reference congress in the fields of technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship, held on March 19 and 20 in the Andalusian capital. The event brought together startups, technology companies, public administrations, investment funds, and professionals from the innovative ecosystem with the aim of fostering collaboration, knowledge exchange, and generating real impact through technology.
CTX Tech Experience has solidified itself as a meeting space oriented towards applied innovation, addressing key challenges related to artificial intelligence, digital transformation, talent, open innovation, and the effective transfer of solutions from the pilot phase to real scaling and deployment. Throughout the two days, there were presentations, round tables, and networking spaces that fostered dialogue between the public sector, the business fabric, and the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The APBA had a dual participation through Jesús Medina, head of the Technological Development Area of the Algeciras port, who spoke at two debate panels focusing on the role of public administrations and, in particular, ports as active agents of innovation.
The first session in which Medina participated was titled "Open Innovation: from Pilots to Real Transformation of Ecosystems." The panel was moderated by María Niebla, coordinator of the Misión Entrepreneurship Center in Algeciras, and included the participation of Alberto Alonso, vice president of Impact Hub Network, and Álvaro Jiménez, director of GeneraSur – Open Innovation. The debate was oriented towards analyzing how to transition from experimental initiatives to structured, measurable innovation models with the capacity to generate sustainable impact. During the session, the importance of correctly defining challenges, engaging the right stakeholders, and establishing governance mechanisms that allow scaling solutions beyond pilot tests was highlighted.
In this context, the APBA representative shared the experience of the Port of Algeciras in applying collaborative models of open innovation, through which real challenges in the port environment are connected with startups and technology providers to accelerate the adoption of innovative solutions. Medina specifically referred to the work that the APBA is doing with the Innovation Committee of the Port of Algeciras, a working group and shared forum for reflection and knowledge sharing among companies in the port community, whose mission is to promote collaborative innovation in order to improve competitiveness and sustainability, as well as the value proposition of the port and its port and logistics community. The head of Technological Development of the APBA also emphasized the need to always consider, in any opportunity for collaboration, what the scenario or roadmap will be following a possible pilot test, a reflection he deemed essential to ensure that initiatives do not remain in the experimental phase.
The second panel in which Jesús Medina spoke was titled "Ports that Innovate: What is Working and What is Coming Next" and included the participation of his counterparts in the ports of Huelva and Málaga, Mafran Martínez and Fernando Arjona, respectively. The session was moderated by Rocío Díaz, director of the Innovation Market of the Port of Huelva, and focused on analyzing the origin of innovation in ports and how these institutions channel and develop this activity in their daily operations.
In this space, the APBA presented several internal initiatives aimed at enhancing the culture and innovative activity within the organization. First, Medina referred to the so-called "innovation boosters," designated reference persons in the different departments of the Port Authority who act as regular interlocutors with the innovation team. Their role is to facilitate the identification and transmission of needs, opportunities, and challenges, as well as to disseminate initiatives, aids, and innovative projects that may be of interest to each area. The head of Technological Development of the APBA highlighted the importance of the role of these boosters in energizing team participation and serving as a bridge between the institution's innovation strategy and the daily operational activities of each department.
Second, Medina presented the Innovation Ideas Contest, a tool launched by the organization to promote the active participation of both employees and external collaborators in generating innovative ideas. Through this contest, the APBA enables a structured channel to collect, evaluate, and prioritize proposals that contribute to improving processes, services, and management models, or to solving strategic challenges of the organization. As Medina explained, this initiative is part of a culture of open, collaborative, and results-oriented innovation that the Port Authority has been progressively cultivating.
The presence of the Port Authority of the Bay of Algeciras at the CTX Tech Experience Seville Hub is part of its commitment to practical, open, and impact-oriented innovation, understood as a key lever to improve the efficiency, sustainability, and competitiveness of the port. Through its participation in these types of forums, the APBA shares experiences, learns from other ecosystems, and explores new collaborative opportunities with technology agents and entrepreneurs.
In this line, the APBA continues to promote initiatives that encourage controlled experimentation, collaboration with the innovative ecosystem, and the effective transition of ideas and pilots towards real solutions that provide value to the entire port community and the territory of Campo de Gibraltar.