Liftoff: One of Central and Eastern Europe's largest deep tech events coming soon to Zagreb | Večernji List (HR) | Nuqleus, Nikola Tesla Innovation Center, FER, EIC, EIB, EIF, EBRD, Hrvatski Telekom, Končar, Infobip, Marko Primorac, Matija Srbić, Mozaik Center, Startup Builder, AYMO Ventures, Emerald Ventures, Xista Ventures, Gapminder, PMF, PBF, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Institute of Physics, FKIT, FBF, CEE, Europe, Croatia, Zagreb, June 30, July 1, 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032, 2033, 2034, 2035, 2036, 2037, 2038, 2039, 2040, 2041, 2042, 2043, 2044, 2045, 2046, 2047, 2048, 2049, 2050, 2051, 2052, 2053, 2054, 2055, 2056, 2057, 2058, 2059, 2060, 2061, 2062, 2063, 2064, 2065, 2066, 2067, 2068, 2069, 2070, 2071, 2072, 2073, 2074, 2075, 2076, 2077, 2078, 2079, 2080, 2081, 2082, 2083, 2084, 2085, 2086, 2087, 2088, 2089, 2090, 2091, 2092, 2093, 2094, 2095, 2096, 2097, 2098, 2099, 2100

Zagreb is set to host Liftoff, a significant conference focused on deep technology, on June 30 and July 1 at the Mozaik Center. Organized by Nuqleus, an academic entrepreneurship program within the Nikola Tesla Innovation Center at FER (University of Zagreb Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing), the event is positioned as one of the largest deep tech gatherings in Central and Eastern Europe.

The conference aims to create a nexus for scientists, startups, and venture capitalists, fostering the growth of the deep tech ecosystem and driving innovation. Liftoff has previously attracted over 400 participants from the startup and deep tech sectors across Croatia and Europe. Attendees have included representatives from technology companies, industry leaders, and key decision-makers from prominent European and Croatian organizations such as the European Innovation Council (EIC), European Investment Bank (EIB), European Investment Fund (EIF), and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

Investors from Europe and Croatia, including AYMO Ventures, Emerald Ventures, Xista Ventures, EBRD VC, and Gapminder, have also participated. The event showcases leading technology startups from the region, many of which have gone through Nuqleus's Startup Builder program. These startups often originate from top Croatian research institutions like FER, the Ruđer Bošković Institute, and the Faculty of Science (PMF), alongside established Croatian tech companies such as Hrvatski Telekom, Končar, and Infobip.

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Nuqleus has established itself over the past three and a half years as one of the key drivers of development in the Croatian deep tech ecosystem. By connecting the scientific community, entrepreneurs, and industry, we have supported numerous researchers in commercializing their innovations and contributed to the creation of new technology companies. The quality of our work has also been confirmed by international recognition, including being listed among the leading European startup incubators by the Financial Times.

Matija Srbić, the event organizer, highlighted Nuqleus's role over the past three and a half years in advancing Croatia's deep tech ecosystem. He noted the program's success in supporting researchers in commercializing innovations and establishing new technology companies, with its quality recognized by international accolades, including a mention by the Financial Times among leading European startup incubators. Srbić stated that Liftoff's objective is to increase the visibility of promising Croatian innovations and strengthen the country's position as a competitive destination for deep tech startups, aiming to attract young scientists from the diaspora and the CEE region.

Notable speakers at the event will include Marko Primorac, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank, who oversees political priorities like energy and EIB Global operations in sub-Saharan Africa, and manages institutional relations with Croatia, Hungary, and Poland. His background is strongly academic.

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Our goal is to further increase the visibility of the most promising Croatian innovations, from science through startups to industry. Our goal is to strengthen Croatia's position as a competitive destination for the development of deep tech startups and to attract young scientists from the diaspora and the CEE region to choose Croatia as an excellent place to work on top scientific achievements and commercialize the results of their research.