The kick-off meeting of the BRAVE project, co-financed under the Interreg Italy–Croatia Programme, was held in Venice on 27–28 November 2025. The project aims to preserve the ecological balance of the Adriatic Sea by improving understanding of biodiversity, applying advanced environmental monitoring methods, and managing invasive species.

By developing a shared digital platform, the project connects fragmented datasets and enables faster identification of threats to marine ecosystems, using innovative approaches such as environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis. The project actively involves the fisheries and aquaculture sector, the scientific community, and local stakeholders.

The meeting brought together partners from Italy and Croatia to present project activities, define the financial and communication framework, and coordinate further implementation steps. One of the partners is the Josip Juraj Strossmayer Water Institute, represented by Marina Šumanović and Margareta Krešić, who emphasised the Institute’s role in water resource monitoring and protection. The Institute will contribute to the project through data collection and analysis on the condition of marine and coastal ecosystems, as well as the development of guidelines to support better marine resource management.

The first day featured presentations on the project’s objectives, Interreg programme rules, and communication and financial aspects, followed by a press conference with contributions from partners and experts from the University of Padua, IUAV University of Venice, and the institutions ISPRA and CMCC.

On the second day, participants discussed planned activities, monitoring and quality assurance procedures, and agreed on the next implementation steps. The meeting in Venice laid a solid foundation for cooperation and the successful implementation of the BRAVE project, with the overarching goal of preserving the Adriatic Sea.