On 5 February 2026, the University of Rijeka (UNIRI) had the honour of welcoming Professor Di Tollo from the Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy, for an official academic visit to the Faculty of Engineering (RITEH), the Faculty of Maritime Studies (PFRI), and the Faculty of Informatics and Digital Technologies (FIDIT). As an external expert and evaluator for the INNO2MARE project, Professor Di Tollo’s visit provided a valuable opportunity to further strengthen collaboration among Croatian, Slovenian, and Italian universities and faculties.
During his visit, Professor Di Tollo toured several faculties and engaged in discussions on potential collaborative initiatives, including student and staff exchanges and joint research projects in the fields of engineering, maritime studies, and digital technologies. The primary objective of the visit was to gain in-depth insights into the computational methods applied within the INNO2MARE pilot projects, namely: Improved fire evacuation VR model of a ship engine room, Sea state estimation and object detection approaches, and Personal watercraft trajectory prediction and classification.
The visit began at the Faculty of Engineering (RITEH), where Professor Di Tollo was warmly welcomed by Prof. Dr. Sc. Jonatan Lerga, Prof. Dr. Sc. Saša Zelenika, and Mr Hrvoje Marušić. He was introduced to ongoing projects in engineering, innovation, and applied sciences, with particular emphasis on INNO2MARE Pilot Project 3, which focuses on autonomous shipping technologies supported by artificial intelligence.
Ms Lucija Žužić, Research Assistant, presented the project’s research objectives, methodologies, and achieved results, highlighting key technological developments and practical applications. These included research on trajectory clustering and anomaly detection using inflection points; short- and long-term personal watercraft trajectory forecasting based on Bayesian and Markov chain approaches; and trajectory prediction using recurrent neural network models.
Professor Di Tollo then visited the Faculty of Maritime Studies (PFRI), where Dr. Goran Vizentin and Dr. Darko Glujić presented the outcomes of INNO2MARE Pilot Project 1. This project focuses on enhancing maritime fire safety and digitalising the Maritime Education and Training (MET) process, enabling training to be conducted both onsite and online. Its ultimate goal is to develop a functional VR model of fire spread in a ship’s engine room, achieving Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 4–5. The visit included a demonstration of the enhanced fire evacuation VR model, showcasing innovative and immersive approaches to maritime safety training and highlighting the project’s practical impact.
During his time at PFRI, Professor Di Tollo also explored the maritime simulator, an advanced training and research facility designed to replicate real-world maritime environments and vessel operations in a safe and controlled setting. The simulator enables students, researchers, and maritime professionals to develop practical skills, test operational scenarios, and gain hands-on experience, supporting both education and applied research in maritime operations.
The visit continued at the Faculty of Informatics and Digital Technologies (FIDIT), where Professor Di Tollo was introduced to the second phase of research within Pilot Project 3. He gained insights into the development of sea state classification models, including the generation of synthetic images representing various sea conditions, experiments using synthesised data for classification, and the creation of synthetic datasets for small object detection. In addition, the development of a small object recognition model was presented, demonstrating the project’s progress in applying artificial intelligence and computer vision technologies to maritime environments.
Overall, the visit provided an excellent platform for the exchange of ideas and expertise, opening new opportunities for future academic collaboration and joint research initiatives.
Dr. Goran Vukelić, Vice-Rector for Strategic Projects at the University of Rijeka, together with faculty members, expressed their appreciation for Professor Di Tollo’s visit and look forward to strengthening institutional ties through future collaborative programmes and research partnerships.
