DCC-CR Contributes to “Artificial Intelligence, Blue Economy and Interreg Synergies”
Advancing coastal resilience through AI-driven innovation and cross-programme collaboration within the Interreg Italy–Croatia framework.
Published on 12 February 2026 | Events
Bologna, Italy — On 12 February 2026, the Decade Collaborative Centre for Coastal Resilience contributed to the inspirational event “Artificial Intelligence, Blue Economy and Interreg Synergies – Connecting Ideas and Territories through AI”, organised by projects funded under Priority 1 “Sustainable Growth in the Blue Economy” of the Interreg Italy–Croatia Programme.
The initiative brought together EU-funded projects to play an active role in raising tangible issues emerging from coastal territories and to explore solution pathways through artificial intelligence. The event provided a platform for dialogue among researchers, institutional representatives, and regional stakeholders on integrating AI into blue economy strategies.
During the keynote session, Nadia Pinardi, Director of the DCC-CR, delivered a presentation titled “Unlocking a Resilient Future: Coastal Resilience and the Blue Economy through AI.” Her intervention addressed one of the core areas of interest of the Centre, highlighting how AI-enabled tools and predictive systems can strengthen coastal resilience, enhance environmental monitoring, and support evidence-based governance of marine social-ecological systems.
The programme also featured a contribution from Elena Fabbri, Member of the Programme Committee, who emphasised the importance of interdisciplinary cooperation and cross-project synergies in advancing sustainable innovation in the Adriatic–Ionian region.
DCC-CR’s participation reaffirms the Centre’s commitment to fostering structured scientific exchange and strengthening operational alignment between coastal resilience research, digital transformation processes, and sustainable blue economy development within the framework of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
By engaging in cross-programme dialogue with Interreg-funded initiatives, DCC-CR helps bridge the gap between research, policy, and territorial implementation, ensuring that advances in artificial intelligence are translated into practical tools for coastal communities and regional authorities. In particular, integrating AI-driven modelling, forecasting systems, and data interoperability frameworks enhances anticipatory capacity, supports risk-informed planning, and promotes adaptive governance in rapidly changing coastal environments.
Through its active role in such initiatives, DCC-CR advances Ocean Decade objectives by facilitating knowledge co-production across scientific institutions, EU-funded projects, and local stakeholders. This approach strengthens the connection between scientific innovation and societal needs, fostering scalable and replicable solutions that contribute to resilient coastal systems and a sustainable, digitally enabled blue economy across European maritime regions.
Event recordings
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