RIT Croatia joins AI4BLUE, a new cross-border project advancing AI innovation in the Blue Economy
From left to right: Dr. Branko Mihaljević, Dr. Martin Žagar, and Dr. Alan Mutka
RIT Croatia has become a partner in AI4BLUE – Cross-border AI Services for Innovation in the Blue Economy, a new Interreg Italy–Croatia project with a total budget of €1.38 million. The project officially begins in August 2026 and until January 2029 it aims to strengthen innovation capacity and the uptake of advanced technologies across the Italy–Croatia cooperation area.
AI4BLUE focuses on helping small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) gain access to advanced artificial intelligence tools through the development of a multilingual, open-source AI platform based on Large Language Models (LLMs). Designed for sectors such as aquaculture, coastal tourism, port logistics, marine environmental monitoring, and renewable marine industries, the platform will support both cloud-based and offline deployment to ensure accessibility across diverse business environments.
Led by CNA Abruzzo (Italy), the project brings together research institutions, universities, innovation organizations, and business support partners from Croatia and Italy to improve the adoption of artificial intelligence technologies within the blue economy. The consortium includes CNA Abruzzo, CEDRA Split, RIT Croatia, University of Bologna, University of Split Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture (FESB), and University of Udine.
At RIT Croatia, project activities will be led by Dr. Martin Žagar, together with Dr. Branko Mihaljević, and Dr. Alan Mutka. The RIT Croatia team will contribute expertise in AI ethics, cybersecurity, compliance, and the development and integration of open-weight AI agents. RIT Croatia will also support the organization of Croatian AI Learning Labs, bringing together students, researchers, and businesses to explore practical applications of artificial intelligence.
“AI4BLUE is an excellent example of how universities can contribute to technological innovation while creating meaningful learning opportunities for students. By combining expertise in AI, cybersecurity, ethics, and business innovation, the project will help organizations in the blue economy sector explore practical applications of artificial intelligence while giving students hands-on experience working on real-world challenges,” said Dr. Martin Žagar.
The project will develop seven specialized AI agents supporting tasks such as regulatory compliance, multilingual communication, sustainability planning, market intelligence, tourism forecasting, corrosion detection, and technical assistance. These solutions will be tested and validated through pilot activities involving at least 30 SMEs from Croatia and Italy.
Beyond technology development, AI4BLUE will establish a cross-border research and innovation network, strengthen collaboration between universities and businesses, and support the responsible adoption of AI technologies through training, knowledge exchange, and long-term policy integration. Through its participation, RIT Croatia will contribute to advancing AI innovation while creating new opportunities for students and faculty to engage with emerging technologies and industry-focused projects.
