At the invitation of the organizers, Hrvoje Meštrić, PhD, Director-General of the Science and Technology Directorate at the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth, participated in the Lift Off Conference, held in Zagreb on 3 July 2025, where he addressed participants at the opening ceremony in the name of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia.

The conference was organised by the Innovation Centre Nikola Tesla (ICENT) with the support of the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth and the World Bank.

Bringing together participants from Croatia and across Europe — including startups, researchers, investors, institutions, and industry — the conference focused on deep tech innovation, grounded in scientific excellence and designed to address some of the most complex societal challenges.

In his speech, Dr. Meštrić emphasized: “Deep tech is not just about new technology — it’s a different way of thinking about the future. It reflects our ability to turn scientific excellence into real-world solutions. Our role is to build a system that not only supports excellence, but enables its translation into innovation that benefits society.”

Dr. Meštrić also participated in the high-level panel discussion “Is Deep Tech Europe’s Saving Grace?”, alongside representatives of the European Innovation Council (EIC) and the European Investment Bank (EIB). He presented Croatia’s strategic priorities for strengthening the deep tech ecosystem — including investment in research, science–industry collaboration, and targeted support in building the deep tech ecosystem as part of the DIGIT project – Digital, Innovative and Green Technologies.