Bring Your Innovation to the Water’s Edge
The Port of San Diego is opening its infrastructure to blue-tech pioneers developing solutions for coastal resilience, climate adaptation, and next-generation port infrastructure.
Ports are gateways to global trade. With 80% of world commerce moving by sea, ports form critical links in supply chains and are essential for countries to access international markets. A 2024 study by Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute found that 86% of ports worldwide are exposed to more than three climate-related geophysical hazards, underscoring the increasing vulnerability of the global port network.
Of the total climate-related risk to ports identified in the Oxford study, estimated at US $7.6 billion per year, the majority stems from tropical cyclones and river flooding. These climate impacts also carry a significant operational threat, with an estimated US $67 billion in trade at risk each year due to port downtime.
This makes it clear: strengthening climate resilience is no longer optional for ports, but essential.
Innovation is key to helping ports strengthen their resilience in the face of climate change. Do you have a solution that can help protect and future-proof the Port of San Diego?
The San Diego Port Innovation Challenge creates a unique opportunity for innovative companies to collaborate with one of the most vital gateways to our oceans.
Why Should You Apply?
Select organisations can benefit from:
Meet leaders from the Port of San Diego
Industry Connections
Investor Access
Meet active blue economy and climate investors
Prospective Customers
Exposure to potential customers from the US and the world
Community
Join OIO’s startup community and access future growth opportunities
Exposure
Broad awareness for your solution across OIO website, social media, and other communication platforms
Grow Your Network
Expand your network, including to experts in science & technology
Safe Harbours: The future of coastal resilience.
Challenge Categories
Key Dates
Application
Period
January 2026
Applications
Assessed
February 2026
Finalists
Informed
February 2026
Finalist Showcase (Virtual)
TBD
Successful Solutions Showcased
TBD
Evaluation CRITERIA
Alignment to challenge categories
How does your solution address the objectives and focus areas of the Port of San Diego Innovation Challenge?
Technical viability
& feasibility
Is your solution technically sound and feasible to implement with current or near-future technologies?
Expertise & Experience
Does your team and any partners involved possess the necessary expertise and relevant experience to successfully execute the project?
Scalability
Can your solution be scaled up to effectively meet port demands?
Innovation
Does your submission demonstrate innovation and creative problem-solving? What is the innovative merit of your solution?
Impact
What is the potential impact of your solution on advancing the San Diego Port Innovation Challenge objectives?
FAQS
-
We welcome submissions from startups, scaleups, science institutions, and small-medium enterprises.
-
Subissions from anything not directly connected to the solution categories, such as consulting and services firms, advocacy groups, etc.
-
Offshore wind energy is a fast-growing global industry in which innovative solutions are needed and adopted to support its continued sustainable growth. Southerly Ten is one of many offshore wind developers seeking solutions to adopt as projects are rolled out.
-
Once you submit your application, all submissions will be funnelled through a panel of domain experts, which includes the Southerly Ten team.
-
Finalists will be selected to showcase in front of a virtual panel of domain experts the week of 3 March 2025. The winning solutions will be announced at Climate Action Week in Sydney on the week of 10 March 2025.
