Today in Luxembourg, as part of the "EIB Venture Debt & Advisory Summit", the presentation of the winners of the Blue Champions public call was held, among which was DIH Innovamare.

Prof. Guido Bortoluzzi, project coordinator for our University, says: " Innovamare has been a highly successful project that has led to concrete spin-offs in the territory, or rather in the maritime space, that unites Italy and Croatia. The creation of a Digital Innovation Hub located in Šibenik, Croatia, is only the most evident element of a larger result that consists in the creation of a transnational working group that is rapidly expanding beyond the Italian-Croatian borders in the direction of the entire Balkan area and beyond. We are proud to have brought a piece of UniTS into this project and to give our small contribution to its consolidation in the near future.“

"EU Blue Champion" is an initiative of the European Commission and the European Investment Bank which selects 20 innovative companies, projects, and initiatives that the European Commission and the EIB consider to best contribute to the development of the blue economy in the EU. Selected projects will be provided with EIB advisory services for defining project financing models, developing business models, and creating partnerships at the EU level. Each project should demonstrate the potential for a strong contribution to the EU mission "Renew our oceans and waters" and achieve three goals:

• the restoration of marine and freshwater ecosystems;
• the elimination of pollution;
• the decarbonization of the blue economy.

The key elements of the Innovamare project include the development and construction of infrastructure, namely the Center of Competence in Marine Technologies in Šibenik and the Technological Park for Marine Technologies at the University of Zadar. Likewise, the procurement of innovative technological equipment, the establishment of test locations, the development and prototyping of marine technologies are planned for the mentioned infrastructure. In addition to the above, a key part of the project is raising awareness of the impacts of the blue economy and the need for digital and green transformation, which will be carried out in cooperation with the E1 Blue Acceleration Festival, demonstrations of cleaning with innovative underwater technologies and restoration of the marine ecosystem with divers as part of the E1 Blue Impact program, and employment of 20 researchers.

The digital innovation HUB Innovamare aims to become a central place for technology transfer, strengthening cooperation and connecting stakeholders on a cross-border and transnational level from the public, private and scientific research sectors for the development, testing and validation of marine technologies with the mission of the sustainability of the Adriatic Sea. The key founders and members of DIH are 6 largest scientific and research organizations, 7 supporting institutions and local and regional authorities and 4 companies from Italy and Croatia. Within its ecosystem, DIH is constantly working to secure financing, generate income for further investments and develop technological solutions for the digital and green transformation of the blue economy.

Digital Innovation HUB Innovamare submitted the project as part of the public call for "Blue Champions", and this achieved success is only a confirmation that everything done within DIH has a future and the support of institutions that will help us achieve our mission, which is sustainable blue economy.

Find more information about this initiative at www.mairos.org