Within the framework of the BIOSTARS project, several coordination meetings were organised by SDEWES between November 2025 and March 2026 in the municipalities of Motovun, Lovas and Gradište, contributing to the establishment and consolidation of the BIOSTARS Local Working Group (LWG) in Croatia.
These meetings brought together representatives from local authorities, development agencies and innovation support organisations to discuss the role of municipalities and regional actors in fostering entrepreneurship, innovation ecosystems and bioeconomy-related opportunities in rural territories.
The first meeting, held in Motovun, focused on presenting the BIOSTARS project to local stakeholders and confirming the municipality’s role as an Associated Partner in the transfer process. The discussion also explored opportunities for cooperation with the Municipality of Lovas and highlighted Motovun’s experience as a start-up village as a valuable reference for knowledge exchange between territories.
Subsequent meetings in Gradište and Lovas involved coordination with the regional competence centre CEKOM and the local development agency TINTL, addressing the activation of the Business Competence Center in Lovas as a potential hub for innovation, entrepreneurship support and stakeholder engagement. Participants also discussed opportunities related to youth involvement, biomass valorisation, agricultural value chains and local business development, particularly in connection with wine production and bioeconomy initiatives.
A joint planning meeting held in March 2026 further clarified the roles of the Municipality of Lovas, CEKOM, TINTL and SDEWES in implementing BIOSTARS activities at local level. The session also explored the potential application of the BIOSTARS Toolbox as a practical instrument to strengthen institutional capacity and support ecosystem building in small municipalities, while identifying training needs for public authorities through the Policy Maker Training questionnaire.
These meetings represent an important step in building a collaborative local framework for the implementation of BIOSTARS activities in eastern Croatia, reinforcing connections between municipalities, innovation actors and regional development organisations.
Through this process, BIOSTARS continues to support the creation of bioeconomy innovation ecosystems in rural areas, promoting knowledge transfer, stakeholder cooperation and new opportunities for sustainable territorial development across the Mediterranean region.
