Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 19 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Cabildo of Tenerife, through the Scientific and Technological Park of Tenerife, will organise the eighth edition of BlueUP this September. This initiative, led by the Canarian Transport and Logistics Cluster and Factoría de Cohesión, aims to enhance youth entrepreneurship in the blue economy.

BlueUP has established itself as a high-impact platform that merges young talent, technological innovation, and genuine environmental challenges. Its mission is to transform disruptive ideas into tangible solutions that improve water quality, promote sustainable port infrastructure, and foster emerging marine energies, as described by the Cabildo in a statement.

With its support, the Insular Council and the Scientific and Technological Park of Tenerife aim to solidify their role as a regional driver of the blue economy, aligning with their vision to promote ventures of social, environmental, and economic value for the Canary Islands.

Dynamic Hackathon

BlueUP is a dynamic hackathon geared towards 40 young individuals from diverse fields such as economics, engineering, marine biology, technology, design, and marketing. The objective is to generate innovative solutions that address current maritime and port challenges, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The programme will focus on five strategic sectors of the blue economy: marine biotechnology, ocean renewable energy, smart ports, city-port cohesion, and sustainable coastal tourism. The experience begins with an online training module introducing participants to the blue economy, agile methodologies, design thinking, and business modelling.

This is followed by an intensive route including a cultural immersion day, networking, and initial training in Fuerteventura (24 September); the start of the hackathon with mentoring, thematic workshops, and collaborative work in Gran Canaria (25 September); and the final phase in Tenerife (26 September at Casa de la Juventud Lázaro Siliuto and 27 September at Sala Multipropósitos in IACtec), featuring prototyping—incorporating AI applications—storytelling, financing, communication, and project presentations to an expert jury.

Training and Support

After the competition, the three winning teams will receive personalised mentoring for three months in areas such as sustainability, product development, intellectual property, marketing, financing, and business launch. Additionally, they will participate in academic events and industry fairs, including the Vision Meeting for knowledge transfer, thereby expanding their opportunities for consolidation and exposure.

The project is funded by the Scientific and Technological Park of Tenerife and the Canary Development Fund, with sponsorship from the Government of the Canary Islands, Islas Canarias Latitud de Vida, the Foundation of the Ports of Las Palmas, Cervera de Canarias Company, and collaboration from the Port Authority of Tenerife, University of La Laguna, European University, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, coworking space Work In Cholas, and the City Council of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.