BLUECONNECT Final Conference
The BLUECONNECT Final Conference, held on 23 September 2026 at the Hyatt Regency Kotor Bay Resort in Donji Stoliv, Kotor, brought together more than 100 participants from research institutions, businesses, public authorities, clusters and other blue-economy organisations.
Organised within AdriBioPro2026 – Adriatic Biodiversity Protection, the conference explored how digital tools, applied research and demonstration infrastructure can work together to strengthen sustainable blue-economy cooperation across Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro.
My contribution included chairing the T4 BlueConnect session and co-authoring a poster presenting BLUECONNECT’s integrated digital and physical infrastructure.
From digital collaboration to demonstration centres
Together with Mirko Đurović, Branka Pestorić and Mirjana Bartula, I co-authored the poster:
“From Digital Collaboration to Demonstration Centres: BLUECONNECT’s Integrated Infrastructure for Sustainable Adriatic Aquaculture and Fisheries”
The poster connected four complementary project outputs:
Blue Growth Digital Collaboration Platform — supporting professional networking, knowledge exchange, training, joint initiatives and business cooperation.
IBM Aquaculture Demonstration Center, Montenegro — supporting applied research, practical learning and demonstration of innovative aquaculture solutions.
IOR Eastern Adriatic Fishery Advocacy Center, Croatia — connecting scientific monitoring with fisheries management, stakeholder dialogue and the transfer of research into practice.
CEFBH Freshwater Fish Processing Center, Bosnia and Herzegovina — strengthening processing knowledge, product development and freshwater fisheries value chains.
The central message was that these outputs gain value through their connections. Digital collaboration can help stakeholders discover expertise and establish partnerships; demonstration centres provide settings for practical learning and testing; and capacity building supports the uptake of innovation.
As BLUECONNECT’s Blue Growth Collaboration Platform Expert, this relationship is central to my work: connecting the platform’s services with the organisations, knowledge and practical activities that can sustain its use.
Chairing the T4 BlueConnect session
The session I chaired brought together the project’s analytical foundations and practical applications.
Bruna Paušić presented the Blue Growth Landscape Analysis for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Montenegro, alongside the Blue Growth Regional Market Analysis, examining regional capacities, market connections and cooperation opportunities.
Barbara Zorica presented research on integrated monitoring of early life stages of fish and shellfish in the Eastern Adriatic, while Danijela Lovrić introduced the Demonstration Center for Fresh Water Fish Processing.
Together, these contributions illustrated how regional analysis, scientific evidence and practical infrastructure can inform cooperation among researchers, businesses and public authorities.
Supporting cooperation beyond the project
The conference provided an opportunity to consider how BLUECONNECT’s results can support continued regional activity through the digital platform, the Adriatic Blue Growth Cluster and the three specialised centres.
For me, the poster captured the main opportunity: making these investments work together so that knowledge exchange leads to practical learning, innovation and lasting cross-border partnerships.
