The Innovation Breakfast was held at theUniversity of Rijeka on September 15th 2023. The introductory lecture was givenby Deepak Mehta, Ecosystem Developerfor MCA (Maritime Campus Antwerp) and a member of the INNO2MARE InnovationCouncil, on “Maritime TransportEcosystems for Impactful Innovation”.
The second part of the InnovationBreakfast included the Citizens Connectframework developed in cooperation withthe Center for Technical Culture Rijeka. The panel discussion “Innovation inMaritime Transport as contribution toSustainable Communities”, was held withpublic attendance, aiming to strengthenthe communication and cooperationbetween all relevant stakeholders.
The panellists were Prof. D. Sc. SašaZelenika, Vice Rector for Strategic Projectsof the University of Rijeka; Vedran Kružić,director of the Regional DevelopmentAgency PRIGODA; Teuta Duletić, executive director ofLurssen Design Center Kvarner; DonatanBalog, Master on LNG carriers andinnovator; Stevica Kuharski, partner in theinvestment fund Fil Rouge Capital andHrvoje Marušić, INNO2MARE ProjectOperations Manager.
Although the panelists presenteddifferent perspectives on technologicaltrends and innovations in the maritimesector, they agreed on the importance ofthe maritime sector in the transition tosustainable development models and thevital importance of developing theappropriate knowledge and skills that arenecessary to ensure the employment ofnew generations of seafarers and expertsin the maritime sector.
The meeting ended with a brainstormingsession facilitated by the Maritime Centerof Excellence in cooperation with the
Innovation Council and other consortiummembers on the topic of developing,attracting and retaining talent in themaritime sector.