WAVEMAKER Business Creation Award Published on: Jul 20 2026 Open Call for Blue Economy Startups & Ventures EIT Water & PDJF WAVEMAKER • Regional Event • 17 September 2026 • ADRIA TECH Technology Park, Šibenik Have a startup solving the challenges of our seas, waters, and coastlines? Pitch it, win EIT Water membership, and earn your place on the European stage. The WAVEMAKER Business Creation Award is a regional competition that finds and backs the most promising blue economy ventures in the Adriatic-Ionian (ADRION) region. Organised by Digital Innovation Hub Innovamare, co-funded by the European Union, the Poul Due Jensen Foundation (PDJF), and EIT Water. What you can win Win the Regional WAVEMAKER Award in Šibenik The 1st-place regional winner in Šibenik will: Receive a one-year EIT Water membership for 2027 Represent the region at the EIT Water Launch event in Málaga on 15 October 2026 Pitch against regional winners from across Europe Compete for the overall WAVEMAKER title, an additional year of EIT Water membership and the €5,000 growth award Regional top three The ventures placing 1st, 2nd and 3rd at the regional event in Šibenik will become official WAVEMAKERS and receive a one-year EIT Water membership for 2027, providing access to EIT Water’s European network, partners, programmes and business opportunities. And every selected finalist pitches before a panel of investors — a direct line to the people who open doors to your next stage of growth. Why take part Pitch to investors — present your venture to a panel of investors and key sector players Join the EIT Water network — Europe’s largest community for the water, marine & maritime sectors Get mentored — expert support to sharpen your pitch and business model before you take the stage Go regional & international — connect across the ADRION network, incubators, and partners in multiple countries Reach the European stage — the regional winner competes at the EIT Water Launch Event Who can apply The call is open to startups, spinouts, SMEs, and venture teams with a scalable blue economy solution and clear market ambition. Whether you are an early-stage venture, a research spinout, or a growing SME — if you are building something in this space, this is for you. Eligible applicants include: Startups & spinouts — early-stage ventures with a working concept or prototype SMEs — small and medium enterprises with a blue economy solution ready to scale Venture teams — teams building toward a market-ready product (multidisciplinary teams preferred) Researchers commercializing their work and student-led ventures are welcome too – as long as you’re building toward a market-ready solution. Open to applicants from Croatia, Italy, Slovenia, Montenegro, Cyprus, and other countries in the region. Working language: English. We especially encourage women-led ventures and teams from underrepresented groups. Each time must have at minimum one member or more. A maximum of 10 teams will be selected for the regional event. What we’re looking for Solutions in three areas: Healthy marine & freshwater ecosystems — tackling ecosystem degradation and compromised water quality Water efficiency & circularity — smarter use, recycling, and circular management of water Resilience to climate threats — protecting coastal and water systems from extreme events Especially welcome: marine monitoring, smart maritime operations, coastal & water resilience tech, marine robotics, environmental intelligence, and the circular blue economy. Key dates Call opens – 20 July 2026 Application deadline – 31 August 2026 Selected finalists notified – Start of September Finalist preparation & mentoring – September 2026 Regional event — Šibenik – 17 September 2026 EIT Water Launch Event — winner’s pitch – 15 October 2026 How to apply It’s simple. Register your team through the application form by 31 August 2026. Rules & Regulations are attached here. Ready to make waves? WAVEMAKER connects startups, research, and investors to accelerate sustainable blue economy solutions. We’re looking for bold, market-ready teams ready for the next step. Apply now — and claim your place on the European stage. Questions? Contact us at info@innovamare.org. "*" indicates required fields Email address* Team name & short description*Team type* Startup Spinout SME Student-led venture Research team Team size*Number of members Stage* Idea Prototype Early revenue Scaling TRL level* Country* Your solution*Max. file size: 20 MB.Your path to market after the event*PhoneThis field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.