On March 26, 2026, a joint workshop of the ROBONETCBC and INNOVABLUE projects was held in Podgorica, titled “From Analysis and Needs to Innovative Solutions: Jointly Shaping the Future of Blue Technologies”. The workshop was designed to connect scientific knowledge, technological capacities, and real user needs, with the clear goal of translating existing analyses and results into concrete, practical, and applicable solutions in the field of blue technologies.
The event brought together about 50 participants from eight countries, including representatives of small and medium-sized enterprises, research and academic institutions, technology companies, innovators, and decision-makers. This multi-sectoral approach provided a dynamic environment for collaboration, knowledge exchange, and the joint creation of solutions that can respond to the specific environmental and social needs of the region.
The workshop was officially opened by the Acting Director of the Innovation Fund of Montenegro, Katarina Lalović. Following the opening remarks, Saša Ivanović, Head of the Department for Strategic Decision-Making and International Cooperation at the Innovation Fund of Montenegro, presented the agenda and goals of the workshop, emphasizing the importance of working together to connect ecosystem challenges with technological responses, as well as the need for potential users to actively participate in defining priorities and developing future solutions.
The first session was dedicated to the project INNOVABLUE. In this session, Snežana Šćepanović, Head of the EU Projects Department, presented the project goals, an overview of activities and results to date, as well as expectations for the workshop itself, with a special emphasis on the importance of understanding real user needs and including them in the development process of innovative blue technologies.
In the second session, Dora Crmarić from the Ruđer Bošković Institute presented the ROBONET project, focusing on the overview of results related to the state of the ecosystem and technological insights. It was particularly highlighted that through key reports, ROBONET provides an overview of the state of the environment, pollution, biodiversity, existing monitoring systems, as well as equipment and data exchange practices, while also identifying outdated technologies and areas for innovation based on inputs from relevant stakeholders.
The third session, Connecting Technology and Users, was aimed at showing concrete use cases and successful applications of blue technologies. Željka Rajković from DIH Innovamare presented the results of the Interreg Italy–Croatia project DIH InnovaMare through video presentations of successful applications in the field of blue technologies, demonstrating how innovative technological solutions can be developed and directed toward real user and market needs.
The fourth session of the workshop featured a joint panel discussion titled “From Analysis to Innovative Solutions: Validating Barriers, Opportunities, and Solutions”, dedicated to connecting the analyses and reports of the INNOVABLUE and ROBONETCBC projects with real needs and the further development of conceptual solutions. Panelists included Dr. Nikola Svrkota, Director of the Center for Ecotoxicological Research in Montenegro, Dr. Aleksandar Valjarević from the Faculty of Geography, University of Belgrade, Assist. Prof. Ivan Marić, PhD, from the Department of Geography, University of Zadar, Dr. Aleksandar Joksimović from the Institute of Marine Biology, University of Montenegro, and Dr. Nemanja Mrđić from the Archaeological Institute in Belgrade, while the panel was moderated by Nuša Cukrov from the Ruđer Bošković Institute. Through the exchange of experiences and various professional perspectives, the panelists addressed issues of monitoring, ecosystem protection, technological readiness, barriers to innovation application, and the possibilities of translating existing analysis results into concrete next steps and pilot solutions.
The fifth session was a practical and interactive workshop where participants were divided into thematic groups, with each group working on one or two priority locations or challenging thematic areas, with the goal of jointly developing initial conceptual ideas. The session was moderated by Domagoj Šarić from the Croatian Chamber of Economy and Ivana Kostić from the Innovation Center of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in Belgrade.
Group work was organized around three key challenges: Application of Artificial Intelligence in Blue Technologies, Real-time Water Monitoring, and Smart Underwater and Remote Operations. Participants jointly discussed how fragmented marine and maritime data can be integrated into prediction and decision-support tools, how to turn real-time water data into actionable monitoring and timely response insights, and how to develop safer, more efficient, and scalable solutions for underwater monitoring, inspection, and intervention. Through guided group work and expert facilitation, initial conceptual ideas were developed in all three areas with potential for further development and real-world testing.
The final session was dedicated to presenting the results of the thematic groups and a concluding overview of the entire event. A reflection on the significance of the workshop, its results, and the cooperation between the Interreg projects INNOVABLUE and ROBONET was given by Snežana Šćepanović, Head of the EU Projects Department at the Innovation Fund of Montenegro.
The workshop confirmed that there is both knowledge and interest in the region for developing modern solutions in blue technologies, but also that stronger connections between institutions, researchers, companies, and end-users are essential for their success. Through further international cooperation activities, the Innovation Fund of Montenegro will encourage the development of innovative, relevant, and applicable solutions for the challenges of marine and freshwater ecosystems, which are the basis for sustainable development, strengthening environmental resilience, and wider application of modern blue technologies in the region.
www.fondzainovacije.me
