On 21 October, Zagreb once again had the opportunity to serve as a venue for productive and inspiring exchanges of knowledge and practical experience through the From Knowledge to Impact: Connecting People, Projects and Ecosystems Conference, organized by Research and Innovation Services (RISE), and held at Hotel Amadria Park Capital.

Through a program featuring several panel discussions throughout the day, participants had the opportunity to learn more about different approaches to the valorization of research results and how stronger connections between people, projects, and organizations can help research generate greater societal and economic value.

The event brought together numerous experts from Croatia and across Europe, who shared their experiences and practical examples, including Carlos Morais Pires of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, who delivered the keynote presentation.

The conference was also attended by Ante Lončar of the DIGIT team, alongside Hrvoje Meštrić, PhD, Director-General of the Directorate for Science and Technology at the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth, who gave the welcome speech and also took part in the Connecting the Ecosystem: Who Helps Research Turn into Impact? panel discussion.

In his opening remarks, Director-General Meštrić highlighted the importance of creating and ensuring appropriate conditions through investment, research infrastructure and mechanisms that enable research activities to produce truly effective outcomes.

We look forward with great interest to future events of this kind, which will focus on the valorization of knowledge, a topic of growing importance at both national and European levels.