The Innovation Fund of Montenegro invites startups, SMEs, research spinouts and innovation teams from Montenegro to apply for the WAVEMAKER Business Creation Award, a regional competition designed to identify and support promising blue economy ventures.
The regional WAVEMAKER event will take place on 17 September 2026 at the ADRIA TECH Technology Park in Šibenik, Croatia, where selected finalists will present their solutions to investors and key representatives of the water, marine and maritime sectors.
The call is open to applicants from Croatia, Italy, Slovenia, Montenegro, Cyprus and other countries in the region.
The call is aimed at teams developing scalable and market-oriented solutions in areas including:
- marine and freshwater ecosystem health;
- water efficiency and circularity;
- climate resilience of coastal areas and water systems;
- marine and water monitoring;
- smart maritime operations and marine robotics;
- autonomous systems, environmental intelligence and the circular blue economy.
Eligible applicants include startups, spinouts, small and medium-sized enterprises, researchers commercialising their work, student-led ventures and other multidisciplinary teams developing solutions with clear market potential. The working language of the programme and the regional event is English.
A maximum of ten teams will be selected for the regional final. Selected finalists will receive expert mentoring to strengthen their business models and prepare their investor pitches.
The three highest-ranked ventures at the regional event will become official WAVEMAKERS and receive a one-year EIT Water membership for 2027, providing access to its European network, partners, programmes and business opportunities.
The regional winner will represent the ADRION region at the EIT Water Launch Event in Málaga on 15 October 2026, where they will compete for the overall WAVEMAKER title and a €5,000 growth award.
The application deadline is 31 August 2026.
Further information, the Rules and Regulations and the application form are available on the official WAVEMAKER Business Creation Award webpage.
Women-led ventures and teams involving members of underrepresented groups are particularly encouraged to apply.
