The Cabildo of Tenerife Reinforces Its Commitment to the Blue Economy by Supporting Young Entrepreneurs in BlueUp
The programme aims to enhance youth entrepreneurship in the blue economy, contributing to the diversification of the island’s economy and increasing its international projection.
The Cabildo of Tenerife, through the Tenerife Science and Technology Park, is organising the eighth edition of BlueUp. This new call reaffirms its commitment to innovation and sustainable development by supporting this new edition of BlueUp, an initiative led by the Canarian Transport and Logistics Cluster and Factoría de Cohesión, aiming to boost youth entrepreneurship in the blue economy. The initiative was presented today (Friday) in the Noble Hall of the Cabildo at a press conference attended by the Councillor for Innovation of the Cabildo of Tenerife, Juan José Martínez, the CEO of Factoría de Cohesión, Alberto Dieter Graeff, and the representative of the Canarian Transport and Logistics Cluster, Eduardo Bezares.
Juan José Martínez highlighted the significance of this initiative: “Programs like BlueUp are essential for connecting the talent of our youth with the major challenges of sustainability and the blue economy. At the Cabildo, through the Tenerife Science and Technology Park, we promote meeting spaces where creativity, science, and innovation become drivers of new opportunities for Tenerife. Investing in our young entrepreneurs is an investment in a more competitive, sustainable, and internationally projected future for our island.”
Alberto Dieter Graeff expressed his gratitude to the Cabildo of Tenerife and the Cluster for “supporting entrepreneurship, innovation, and young talent in the blue economy sector.”
Eduardo Bezares emphasised “the importance of the blue economy” and reiterated the “need to continue supporting such projects.”
BlueUp has established itself as a high-impact platform that combines young talent, technological innovation, and real environmental challenges. Its essence is to transform disruptive ideas into tangible solutions that improve water quality, promote sustainable port infrastructures, or enhance emerging marine energies.
With its support, the Island Council and the Tenerife Science and Technology Park consolidate their role as a regional driver of the blue economy, in line with their vision of promoting ventures with social, environmental, and economic value for Tenerife.
Entrepreneurship for a Bluer Ocean
BlueUp is a dynamic hackathon aimed at 40 young participants from diverse disciplines such as economics, engineering, marine biology, technology, design, and marketing. Its objective is clear: to generate innovative solutions that address the current maritime and port challenges, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The programme focuses on five strategic sectors of the blue economy: marine biotechnology, oceanic renewable energies, smart ports, city-port cohesion, and sustainable coastal tourism.
The experience begins with an online training module that introduces participants to the blue economy, agile methodologies, design thinking, and business modelling. From there, an intensive journey unfolds, which includes:
- Fuerteventura (24 September): cultural immersion, networking, and initial training.
- Gran Canaria (25 September): commencement of the hackathon with mentoring, thematic workshops, and collaborative work.
- Tenerife (26 September at Casa de la Juventud Lázaro Silvestre and 27 September at the Multipurpose Room in IACtec): final phase with prototyping — including AI applications — storytelling, financing, communication, and project defence before an expert jury.
Training, Resources, and Support
Following 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. They will also participate in academic events and industry fairs, including the Vision Meeting for knowledge transfer, thereby broadening their opportunities for establishment and projection.
The project is funded by the Tenerife Science and Technology Park and the Canary Islands Development Fund, with sponsorship from the Government of the Canary Islands, Islas Canarias Latitud de Vida, Fundación Puertos de Las Palmas, Compañía Cervera de Canarias, and collaboration from the Port Authority of Tenerife, the University of La Laguna, the European University, the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the coworking space Work In Cholas, and the Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council.
