Biography
Miquel de la Mano is Technical Director of the Fundació BCN Port Innovation, the public-private foundation created within the Port of Barcelona's innovation plan alongside founding trustees Ackcent and Aggity. An engineer trained at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, with postgraduate work in intelligent transport systems and in technologies applied to cities and the electricity grid, he spent years in technology transfer at the i2CAT Foundation's innovation business unit before taking the role in 2023.
He brings an operator's view of what innovation actually survives contact with a working port. His remit covers the digitalisation of logistics and port processes, energy transition and electrification, and the assembly of public-private consortia to fund collaborative projects. Under his direction the foundation has run pilots in computer vision for automated container seal reading, the RegenPorts programme applying nature-based solutions to port infrastructure, and a circular programme recovering polyethylene and polypropylene waste generated inside the port.
His perspective is especially relevant for audiences interested in AI in port and logistics operations, energy transition in heavy infrastructure, and how public-private innovation vehicles move technology from pilot to deployment.
Session
- AI For GoodSpeaker
Panel 18 — BlueTechPort and the Blue Economy Industry
Wednesday 23 September, 15:30 – 16:10Panel StageAI needs more than algorithms and computing power. It depends on physical infrastructure — energy, water, data centres and connectivity — but also on governance infrastructure: regulation, institutions, trust and the right market incentives. In the blue economy, where innovation must go hand in hand with environmental sustainability and human well-being, responsible AI is not an aspiration but a condition. Bringing together research, industry and governance, this BlueTechPort panel explores how we can build the conditions for AI to innovate, scale and create long-term public value
With Ruben Hernandez, Pablo Bou, Cori Crider