Severe setback for maritime, port and logistics sector
The Centre for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI) has dealt a severe blow to the ambitions of the maritime, port and logistics sector in the Canary Islands to secure public innovation funding. The provisional resolution proposal for the 2025 call for Innovation and Transfer Ecosystems, funded with European FEDER funds and endowed with €14.28 million, has left out the entire set of major alliances promoted by maritime sector industry lobbies.
Technical score but insufficient overall budget
Although the Canary Islands’ initiatives surpassed the technical evaluation carried out by the Evaluation Commission, the overall budget allocated by the state agency proved insufficient to meet demand. All negative resolutions justify the rejection by citing strict ‘insufficiency of available budget’, blocking the arrival of public investment in key projects aimed at decarbonising the fleet, digitalising the logistics chain and developing the blue economy on the islands.
PortMarcero among the rejected projects
Among the projects that were turned down is the PortMarcero bid, an alliance focused on training and the transition to a zero-emissions maritime-port sector. The proposal listed as partners players from the Port of Las Palmas, including the Greek company Astilleros Canarios, S.A. (Astican), a subsidiary of the Laskadiris group, the Consortium for the Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (Plocan), and the Naval and Sea Technology Centre. With 60 points in the assessment, the initiative was left without any financial allocation.
Integrated logistics also affected
The budget freeze hit integrated logistics as well, with the rejection of the CTC-20251052 project, in which the Canary Islands Cluster for Transport and Logistics took part. Designed to drive more efficient and safer maritime and land connectivity, the proposal received a high score of 79 points, but proved useless due to the lack of credit in the state budget line.
CDTI also turns down additional proposals
The CDTI’s decision also closed the door on the PCTC-20251058 proposal, led by the Technological Institute of the Canary Islands (ITC), to structure a transfer ecosystem in ocean culture after scoring 72 points, as well as the CTC-20251011 project, which aimed to highlight underwater heritage and blue tourism with the backing of the Maritime Cluster of the Canary Islands, within the orbit of the Laskadiris group. The affected entities have ten business days to submit appeals at the CDTI’s electronic headquarters.
The entry CDTI rejects funding for Laskadiris project in Las Palmas on blue economy training was first published on canarymaritime.com.
