SAVE THE DATE: October 7, 2026, SEAS opening conference
16/09/2026
The Croatian Agency for SMEs, Innovations and Investments (HAMAG-BICRO) invites entrepreneurs, businesses and other interested stakeholders to the opening conference of the SEAS – Sustainable Enterprises Advancing Blue Solutions project, taking place on:
October 7, 2026, from 12:00 to 16:30
at Leonardo Royal Hotel Venice Mestre
Via Ca’ Marcello 6, 30172 Venice, Italy
Funding opportunities for Croatian and Italian SMEs
The conference will provide an opportunity to learn more about the upcoming SEAS Call for Proposals, targeting micro, small and medium-sized enterprises from the cross-border areas of Croatia and Italy.
The call will provide over EUR 2 million in grant funding for collaborative cross-border projects focused on the development of new products and/or services in the field of the blue economy. 80% of the funding will be co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Grants ranging from EUR 80,000 to EUR 125,000 per project will be available to support cooperation between Croatian and Italian businesses in developing and bringing innovative blue economy solutions closer to the market.
Each project proposal must involve at least two partners – one Italian and one Croatian entrepreneur – and may include a maximum of three partners.
Who can apply?
Eligible applicants are micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) registered in the Programme area of Croatia and Italy.
In Croatia, the eligible area covers:
- Dubrovnik-Neretva County
- Istria County
- Karlovac County
- Lika-Senj County
- Primorje-Gorski Kotar County
- Split-Dalmatia County
- Šibenik-Knin County
- Zadar County.
In Italy, the eligible area covers the following provinces:
- Abruzzo Region: Teramo, Pescara, Chieti
- Apulia Region: Brindisi, Lecce, Foggia, Bari, Barletta-Andria-Trani
- Emilia-Romagna Region: Ferrara, Ravenna, Forlì-Cesena, Rimini
- Friuli Venezia Giulia Region: Pordenone, Udine, Gorizia, Trieste
- Marche Region: Pesaro e Urbino, Ancona, Macerata, Ascoli Piceno, Fermo
- Molise Region: Campobasso
- Veneto Region: Venezia, Padova, Rovigo.
Find your cross-border partner
The SEAS Call for Proposals and the complete application documentation will be published on October 8, 2026 on the SEAS portal (https://cbchb.eu/cbc-it-cro/seas/).
The portal will also provide applicants with an opportunity to search for potential Croatian and Italian partners and submit their project applications.
The opening conference therefore offers an opportunity for interested entrepreneurs and stakeholders to learn about the funding opportunity and connect with potential partners ahead of the call opening.
The conference programme is attached on the right.
Participation is free of charge.
Register for the conference:
Registration form (https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=mhh70ktd9EuNb26-t8WmhfFaAs7_Fi1It18x-OsHMO9URFdVTVpGWVFQRlhLQ01NNVhGVE9VV0o5RC4u
About the SEAS project
SEAS – Sustainable Enterprises Advancing Blue Solutions is a strategic project supporting cooperation among micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in the Italy–Croatia border area under the Interreg VI-A Italy–Croatia 2021–2027 cross-border cooperation programme.
The project aims to support entrepreneurs in the development and commercialization of innovative solutions, products and services in the field of the blue economy, while fostering long-term business cooperation between companies on both sides of the Adriatic.
HAMAG-BICRO (https://hamagbicro.hr/) is the Lead Partner of the project, while T2I – Technology Transfer and Innovation S.C.A R.L. (https://www.t2i.it/) participates in project implementation on the Italian side.
The total project value is EUR 3,125,000, of which EUR 2,500,000 is co-financed by the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
For further information, please contact: seas [at] hamagbicro.hr
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The SEAS – Sustainable Enterprises Advancing Blue Solutions project is co-financed by the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund under the Interreg Italy–Croatia Programme 2021–2027.
