BRIGANTINE brings AI to the Heart of the Blue Economy
Artificial Intelligence meets the sea in Bologna. On 12 February 2026, BRIGANTINE joins the event "Artificial Intelligence, Blue Economy and Interreg Synergies – Connecting Ideas and Territories through AI" at DAMA – Tecnopolo Data Manifattura Emilia-Romagna (Italy). Researchers, project partners and innovation experts gather to discuss how AI can support the Blue Economy. The team contributes by presenting its experience in AI-driven decision support for coastal and maritime contexts, showing how data and optimization tools can improve monitoring and safety at sea.
During the morning session "AI at Work: Navigating and Solving Project Ecosystem Issues", Professor Luca Di Gaspero from the University of Udine presents the BRIGANTINE approach. The focus is on Artificial Intelligence and optimization as key elements of modern Decision Support Systems. The intervention explains how predictive and prescriptive models help move from data analysis to concrete decisions. It also highlights the integration of machine learning with classical AI methods, such as reasoning and knowledge representation, especially in safety-critical maritime environments.
In the afternoon workshop "Smart Marine Technologies for the Blue Economy", BRIGANTINE experts explore concrete pilot actions and research results. Francesco Boscutti developed the application of AI to support the investigation of the health status of seagrass meadows, presenting AI as a tool to analyse and predict potentially critical situations in aquatic environments. Ivan Scagnetto addressed the current use and future development of autonomous monitoring technologies, and their implementation in AI-assisted data processing systems, highlighting the link between environmental monitoring, technological innovation and the growth of the Blue Economy. The discussion underlined how autonomous surface vehicles, remote sensing and smart data integration can strengthen ecosystem protection while fostering sustainable economic activities.
The Bologna event is promoted within the Interreg Italy-Croatia framework and focuses on the link between Artificial Intelligence and the Blue Economy. Hosted at the Tecnopolo DAMA, one of Italy’s main data and supercomputing hubs, the initiative brings together projects, institutions and stakeholders to explore AI applications in marine and coastal sectors. The goal is clear: connect ideas, territories and technologies to strengthen innovation, sustainability and cross-border cooperation in the Adriatic region.
