The consortium from Cádiz received a distinction last Friday from the Faculty of Marine and Environmental Sciences of the University of Cádiz. This recognition highlights the contribution of the Zona Franca to the Blue Economy ecosystem and its efforts to connect academic talent with the business sector.
The State Delegate for the Zona Franca, Fran González, accepted the award at an event held on the Puerto Real Campus, coinciding with the graduation ceremony for the center's degrees for the 2025-26 academic year. The distinction is granted for its "continuous and strategic collaboration" with the university community, particularly with the Faculty of Marine and Environmental Sciences.
A strong link exists between the Zona Franca and officials, members, alumni, and students of the UCA, with joint lines of work. In fact, a significant number of startups from Incubazul Blue Core have been or are part of the university community.
“"Public institutions must put all our efforts into innovation, into the digital age, into being at the forefront so that our business fabric becomes increasingly competitive, consolidates, and grows, and we work on that every day."
The alliance will be further strengthened this year with the celebration of the Blue Zone Forum-Innovazul in the autumn, an event where both institutions collaborate on the Blue Economy ecosystem, focusing on technology, research, and knowledge transfer. Other collaborations include joint participation in Innovazul Caribe and Zona Franca's membership in the UCA's Social Council.
The dean of the Faculty of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Javier Benavente, emphasized the importance of these synergies, which benefit the province's productive sector through university advancements, while simultaneously improving degrees and graduate employability.
