The competitive strength of the ecosystem of Western Slovenia lies in ICT and smart digital solutions for the maritime, manufacturing and related industries, developed by R&I institutions, SMEs and larger companies, however, with a general lack of effective governance structure and systematic collaboration between these and the other ecosystem actors. Following the restructuring of traditional shipyards due to significant financial difficulties over the past years, the innovation ecosystem of Adriatic Croatia has been evolving around marine engineering and digital transformation of shipbuilding, with numerous internationally-oriented SMEs propelling the economy. As an important opportunity for the ecosystems’ joint development, in late 2021, Koper and Rijeka, the two biggest ports in Slovenia and Croatia and members of the North Adriatic Ports Association (NAPA), co-signed a joint declaration on common policies and actions to promote environmental sustainability, digitalisation and connectivity for increasingly smart and green ports, with the support of national ministries of transport and infrastructure.