• After five months of enhancing innovative thinking and entrepreneurship skills among young talents, an ending event of DA-SPACE Open Innovation Lab cycle at Juraj Dobrila University of Pula was organized in June. The jury selected the best project and winning team. The winning idea was the use of assembly garage, parking time limit, shuttle bus and mobile application in order to optimize traffic and parking in the old town of Buzet. Through the collaboration between participants, innovative solution was made and existing capability can be enhanced with positive effect on citizens, guests and visitors during the tourist season. The team considered usage of new technologies in order to increase effectiveness of the solution and possibility of sharing it with other cities or within the region.
• The winning solution presents sustainable development of the city and has wider social impact on community and local innovation ecosystem. The problem of parking and traffic is common to all cities in the region during the tourist season, therefore the solution can be further developed or shared in the region as a common framework.
• Lab manager and project team of Juraj Dobrila University of Pula and the Region of Istria are satisfied with the results of the first cycle. Beside the winning solution, the rest of the co-creation projects had a great impact on the cooperation between academic, business and public sector and local ecosystem. A few young talents who participated in the first cycle are hired, and there is a possibility of implementing some solutions in the practice.
• The pilot phase of the Open Innovation Lab was a great preparation for the next cycle. There are few improvements to be made in order to enhance the connection of the actors, with the aim of raising the entrepreneurship skills and innovation in the region. Therefore, with the support by project teams at Juraj Dobrila University and the Region of Istria, lab manager is analysing the local environments and needs in the region, and has meetings with SME’s, public authorities and business support organizations to involve them in the second lab’s cycle.

Juraj Dobrila University of Pula is a higher education institution, and the Region of Istria is a unit of regional self-government. Both are partners in DA-SPACE project. DA-SPACE Open Innovation Lab Croatia is established in Juraj Dobrila University’s main building, with the support from the Region of Istria.