On 3 December 2025, the Annual Conference Days of Regional Development and EU Funds (#DREUFF) took place in Šibenik, Croatia. This two day event gave the I3 representative, Tomislav Pinter, the opportunity to present I3 and to explain how interregional cooperation can translate strategic innovation and industrial priorities into concrete projects and value chains. He delivered his presentation to government representatives, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders involved in regional development.
Insights from key regional actors continued to enrich the lively discussion on interregional collaboration and innovation. One particularly important point highlighted the need for regions to rely on strong cooperation between the public sector, companies, education, and research. This type of grounded collaboration can create clear and robust pathways that support competitiveness, resilience, and productivity.
In addition, the presentation of the I3 project I3-4-Blue Growth by Mate Kovač underlined the essential role of interregional cooperation. The project seeks to empower less developed coastal and insular regions to build strong blue economy value chains, ranging from sustainable aquaculture and fisheries to maritime renewable energy. It aims to do so by combining local strengths, shared expertise, and cross border investments.
