The Innovation Fund of Montenegro, as one of the partners in the INNOVABLUE project, participated in a three-day event held from 30 June to 2 July 2026 at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Techn
ologies – INNOFEIT in Skopje. The event brought together the INNOVABLUE Proof of Concept Workshop, the project’s first Hackathon, and the Blue Adrion Fund Ideation Workshop, gathering project partners and key stakeholders from across the ADRION region.
Over the course of three intensive days, more than 50 participants, including researchers, startup representatives, students, industry professionals, innovation experts, and representatives of public institutions, worked together on the development of innovative solutions for the sustainable blue economy. Partners from seven ADRION countries exchanged knowledge and experience, strengthened cross-border cooperation, and explored new opportunities for technology transfer and the
commercialisation of innovations.
The programme included educational sessions, interactive workshops, mentoring support, and networking activities aimed at accelerating the development of innovative ideas and further strengthening the regional innovation ecosystem.
One of the central activities was the first INNOVABLUE Hackathon, during which eight multidisciplinary teams worked on real-life challenges related to the blue economy. Through an intensive process of ideation, mentoring, prototyping, and pitching, the participants developed innovative concepts with significant potential for further development and practical application.
At the same time, the Proof of Concept Workshop supported the advancement of three promising PoC projects. Research teams had the opportunity to further refine their solutions, assess their practical application potential, and define the steps required to improve their market readiness.
An important part of the event was the workshop dedicated to the future Blue Adrion Fund. Project partners and experts discussed the legal, regulatory, and operational fra
mework required for its establishment. Through collaborative sessions, two preliminary business model concepts were developed, providing a foundation for
the further definition of the Fund’s structure and operating model.
The event concluded with presentations of the prototypes developed during the Hackathon and the Proof of Concept projects, as well as discussions on the next steps in the implementation of the INNOVABLUE project and the further development of the Blue Adrion Fund. In addition to delivering concrete results, the meeting in Skopje once again confirmed the importance of international cooperation and the value of connecting experts from different countries to jointly address shared challenges and create new opportunities for sustainable innovation.
The event demonstrated that successful innovation is built through cooperation. By connecting researchers, entrepreneurs, industry, and public institutions, the INNOVABLUE project continues to strengthen the regional innovation ecosystem and contribute to the development of sustainable blue economy solutions capable of creating long-term impact across the ADRION region.
