Port accessIvan Jimenez has been the only president of a European port to take part in one of the plenary sessions
Ivan Jimenez Aira, president of the Bilbao Port Authority, has taken part as a speaker in a plenary session at the Transport Research Arena (TRA) 2026, Europe’s flagship conference on research, innovation and the future of transport and sustainable mobility, held this year in Budapest.
The Port of Bilbao has had a particularly prominent presence at this event, as it was the only European port to take part in one of the program’s official plenary sessions, reflecting the status of Bilbao as a European leader in sustainability, port innovation, the energy transition and logistics resilience.
Ivan Jimenez, president of the Port Authority, took part in the plenary session titled “Resilience of Transport Systems,” which focused on the challenges related to the resilience of infrastructure and logistics chains in the face of climate change, geopolitical tensions, energy risks and digital and cybersecurity threats. During his address, Mr. Jimenez outlined the vision of the Port of Bilbao regarding the need to strengthen the resilience of the European logistics system through more sustainable, digitalised and energy-autonomous infrastructure, highlighting the strategic role of ports as energy and industrial hubs for Europe.
He also highlighted the model developed by the Port of Bilbao in the areas of electrification, renewable energy production, energy storage and onshore power supply (OPS), a strategy that is establishing it as one of Europe’s most advanced ports in terms of the energy transition and sustainable competitiveness.
The participation of the Port of Bilbao in TRA 2026 further consolidates the active role of the Port Authority in major European platforms for maritime and logistics innovation. In this respect, the Port of Bilbao is a member of the European technology platform WATERBORNE, an initiative that brings together the European maritime industry, ports, shipyards, technology centres and EU institutions to promote innovation, sustainability and the decarbonisation of European maritime transport. Through this involvement, the Port of Bilbao continues to consolidate its presence in leading international forums related to transport, energy and innovation, reinforcing its position as a strategic Atlantic hub and a European leader in port sustainability and resilience.
In addition to the president of the Bilbao Port Authority, the plenary session also featured prominent European and international leaders from the institutional, energy, technology and logistics sectors, namely:
- Prof. Alan McKinnon, Professor Emeritus of Logistics at Kuehne Logistics University and keynote speaker of the session.
- Mariella Guerricchio, Chief Innovation and Technology Officer at Hitachi Rail.
- Margarida Marques, European Coordinator of the TEN-T Rhine-Danube corridor of the European Commission.
- Dr. Claudia Elif Stutz, State Secretary at the German Federal Ministry of Transport.
- Dr. Ivan Jimenez, Executive President of the Bilbao Port Authority
About Transport Research Arena
The TRA, organised every two years by the European Commission in collaboration with leading European technology platforms and organisations in the field of transport, was first held in 2006, and brings together the European and international community involved in mobility, logistics, energy, digitalisation and infrastructure. The conference is one of the main forums for strategic debate on the future of mobility and European industrial competitiveness.
In this edition, Transport Research Arena has brought together more than 3,000 professionals, industry experts, researchers, policymakers and business representatives from dozens of countries, cementing its position as Europe’s flagship transport research and innovation conference.
