New incubation hub opens for Huelvan ag startups

The Provincial Council of Huelva has launched a two-year, €340,000 project to capture, incubate and accelerate innovative ideas for the region’s agricultural and forestry sectors. HuelvaLAB is a digital acceleration and training centre that will be based in the Agroexperimental Business Centre.

Presenting the initiative this week, Felipe Arias, the deputy councillor for New Technology, said it had been conceived “as a strategic commitment to promote these two fundamental pillars of our local and provincial economy”.

Agriculture generates 23.1 per cent of the province’s employment and is a major contributor to GDP.

“Aware of this importance of maintaining and enhancing the leadership position that this Provincial Council of Huelva has in promoting these sectors, HuelvaLAB has a firm purpose and commitment to promoting digitalisation and the adoption of new technologies in companies that will have the opportunity to grow and to push oneself to the forefront of technology in these sectors,” Arias said.

He added that startups housed within the new facilities would benefit from a collaborative environment and specialised resources to mentor, follow, promote and support their growth.

“The centre will promote synergies between the agricultural and technology sectors, creating an ecosystem where leading companies will accompany these new entrepreneurs, sharing experience, collaborating, sharing knowledge and developing joint solutions,” he said.

HuelvaLAB will offer specialised training, advanced resources and a space dedicated to innovation. “That is the commitment that we are going to make from the Provincial Council: to become a national beacon with this great centre, where ideas become reality, improving the efficiency and sustainability of these sectors that are so important for our province,” Arias continued.

“We are committed to leading this transformation, ensuring that Huelva remains at the forefront of agriculture and the forestry sector of the 21st century.”