The seventh INNO2MARE Innovation Breakfast was held on 23 October 2026, organised by the University of Rijeka (UNIRI). The event brought together experts from academia and industry to discuss innovative maritime technologies, sustainable solutions, and emerging developments shaping the future of the maritime sector.
The programme featured four presentations addressing key challenges and opportunities in maritime innovation, from sustainable water monitoring and European maritime policy to robotic solutions for vessel maintenance and the use of extended reality (XR) technologies for maritime safety:
- The programme started with a presentation “Sustainable Water Monitoring Through New Robotic Sampling Technologies”, delivered by Professor Špiro Ivošević from the Faculty of Maritime Studies in Kotor, Montenegro.
- The second presentation, “On the Industrial Maritime Strategy for a Competitive, Sustainable, and Resilient EU Maritime Sector”, was delivered by Professor Nikola Momčilović from the Department of Naval Architecture at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Belgrade, Serbia.
- Karlo Džafić, Co-founder and CEO of Hartera Robotics in Rijeka, Croatia, presented “Carpathia – Automated Vessel Hull Polishing Robot”.
- The final presentation, “Use of XR Technology for Maritime Safety”, was delivered by Professor Goran Vizentin from the Faculty of Maritime Studies in Rijeka, Croatia.
The event provided an opportunity to explore how research, technological development, and industry collaboration can contribute to a more sustainable, competitive, and resilient maritime sector.
Drawing on the Draghi report, Europe’s innovation, decarbonisation, and defence challenges were presented, including gaps in complex technologies compared with the United States and China. Maritime innovation is clearly moving toward specialised technologies that help protect the sea, and underwater robots show what that looks like in practice. At the same time, Extended Reality (XR) offers new opportunities to enhance maritime safety through immersive training, realistic emergency simulations, and interactive learning environments.
The INNO2MARE Innovation Breakfast is part of the INNO2MARE project, which aims to strengthen innovation capacity and collaboration between research institutions and industry in the Adriatic-Ionian region. By bringing together researchers, innovators, and industry representatives, the series supports knowledge exchange and the development of innovative solutions for the blue economy.
The seventh edition took place within the Blue Economy Alpe Adria Event, held in Rijeka from 19 to 23 October 2026, further highlighting the importance of cross-sector collaboration in advancing sustainable maritime innovation.
