Great success of the workshop „Ocean monitoring and protection Technologies and Services”

The InnovaMare strategic project was a part of the Breaking the Surface robotics conference this year again

Mateo Ivanac, representative of the Croatian Chamber of Economy, at the opening of the international workshop “Technologies and services for monitoring and protecting the ocean in the Adriatic” emphasised that Digitization is a tool that accelerates the sustainable transition of the sea. Workshop was held as part of the underwater robotics event “Breaking the Surface” from 25 from September to October 2 in Biograd na Moru.

The workshop was organized as part of the activities of the strategic project InnovaMare, which is implemented within the Interreg program Italy – Croatia. The workshop is organized by the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, the Croatian startup SeaCras, the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing with the support of partner institutions, including the European Investment Bank Group, the Directorate General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Mercator Ocean International and the System for Observing and Forecasting the Coastal Oceans of the Balearic Islands.

The aim of the workshop was to create a strong ecosystem for a sustainable blue economy in the Adriatic, to encourage new market opportunities through innovative technologies and solutions, raise awareness of the Adriatic as a fundamental resource and develop a model of sustainable growth of the blue economy in the Adriatic in accordance with the European Green Plan and digital transition.

The workshop was officially opened by Josip Bilaver, State Secretary in the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, and Sladjana Ćosić, head of the EIB Group office for Croatia. Bilaver stressed that one of the strategic activities of the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure is to provide a framework that helps various initiatives and projects that support marine and coastal sustainable growth, taking into account the extremely valuable environment of the Adriatic Sea. He emphasized that innovative solutions in the maritime sector can prevent pollution at sea, but also react when pollution occurs, which is the goal that is in the line what ministry wants to achieve in the coming time.

Sladjana Ćosić, head of the Croatian office of the EIB, emphasized that startup companies are key to helping prevent sea pollution, but also that their smart solutions can help monitor and protect the marine environment.

Antonella Calvia Goetz, senior representative of the EIB, together with Miguel Alves, representative of the European Investment Fund, showed the participants the possibilities of financing and investing in the blue economy.

Startups are carriers of new technologies and their applications were presented at the workshop. A total of seven startups were presented that offer modern solutions for the sustainable development of the sea.

The Croatian company SeaCras is specialized in the collection and analysis of satellite data for the purpose of monitoring water and sea quality presented by CEO Mario Špadina. This award-winning company offers coastal quality assessment and monitoring solutions. It is one of the winners of Startup Factory 2021, and this year they were finalists of the prestigious BlueInvest program in 2022.

Director of the Rijeka company that “dries the oceans” Vectrino, Josip Rukavina, explained that they provide services and solutions to property owners and persons responsible for their maintenance. Within the company, they have developed a unique methodology for the coastal area of shallow water, based on artificial intelligence, which greatly facilitates the job of managing underwater assets, as it enables a realistic display of the situation at all times.

The director of the company “Salona Var”, Marija Stupalo, said that they are specialized in the design and production of innovative solutions and equipment for mariculture and shipping, such as working aluminum boats, fish feeders and net washers.

The company XOCEAN, located in Ireland, was presented by Shep Smith, at the workshop. It deals with data collection in the field of environmental protection, with a special emphasis on ocean and sea research. They specialize in the fisheries and subsea sectors, using the most modern technological solutions, satellite images and robots to examine various indicators from the subsea, which include the control of pipelines laid on the seabed.

Claudio La Torre presented the technology company W sense, which was born as a spinoff of the Sapienza University of Rome, and specializes in underwater surveillance and communication systems, based on patented technologies that pioneered the enabling of the underwater Internet of Things (IoUT).

River Cleaning is a spinoff of the Italian SME Mold S.r.l. Since 2008, Mold has been a reliable and strong player in the field of thermoplastic parts, making highly detailed, fully customized, durable products. In 2018, the company decided to dedicate its expertise and knowledge in design, materials and engineering towards a sustainable mission: to prevent marine pollution.

The last company presented at the workshop was Witted, by the company’s Chief Security Officer, Emanuele Rocco. Witted Srl is an influential technology company working on the precise mapping of marine biodiversity and habitats to empower their effective conservation and restoration at scale. Witted innovation is based on pioneering multi-tech and multiscale solutions, from Earth observation to underwater robotics, working in full synergy to provide representative and up-to-date insights on coastal habitats.