Ruđer Bošković Institute is a partner in the InnovaMare project, which brings together 14 partners from Croatia and Italy. Project's goal is to establish a model of innovation ecosystem in the field of underwater robotics and sensors for pollution control and monitoring in the Adriatic Sea.

The seas and oceans are our greatest source of biodiversity, accounting for 71% of the Earth's surface. European sea waters cover 3 million square kilometers, which means that 50% of Europe's territory is under the sea.

The Adriatic Sea is facing the negative consequences of overfishing and various pollutants, from discarded plastic items to oil pollution. All this can lead to poisoning and death of fish, as well as the disappearance of the plant world on which human health also depends.

The main goal of the project is to improve the conditions at the strategic and operational level of cross-border cooperation between the private and scientific sectors, in order to encourage the development of new technological solutions and innovations in the field of robotics and sensors. Through the Innnovamare project, a model of an innovation ecosystem at the cross-border level in the field of underwater robotics and sensors will be jointly developed and established with a mission focused on the sustainability of the Adriatic Sea.

One of the main challenges of the InnovaMare project is to increase the efficiency of innovation activities in relevant areas of the blue economy - by increasing knowledge transfer within the area of ​​cooperation between companies, research and development centers, educational institutions and the public sector through capacity building training programs for various stakeholders.
 

The project holder is Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK). The project is worth 5.6 million euros and is co-financed by the EU Regional Development Fund within the cross-border cooperation program Italy - Croatia 2014-2020.

The Ruđer Bošković Institute will be involved through its Martinska marine station, Division for Marine and Environmental Research, where it is planned to establish a hub for underwater robotics. As part of the project for the needs of the Institute, a new research vessel will be procured as a new step into the future of marine environmental research.

In addition to the Croatian Chamber of Commerce and the RBI, the project consortium brings together scientists and experts from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, University of Zagreb, University of Rijeka, University of Dubrovnik, Geomar, Šibenik-Knin County, and seven Italian partners, MARE FVG cluster, University of Trieste, Veneto Region Chamber of Commerce, National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics, Regional Agency for Technology and Innovation, Institute of Marine Science, and Commtec.

Resources:
https://www.irb.hr/Novosti/IRB-je-partner-na-InnovaMare-projektu
https://www.italy-croatia.eu/web/innovamare