ARCA 2024 International Innovation Exhibition, a Global Showcase of Innovation and Collaboration
ARCA 2024 Report
The 22nd International Innovation Exhibition ARCA 2024, alongside the 15th International Fair of Innovations in Agriculture, Food Industry, and Agricultural Machinery (AGRO-ARCA 2024), took place from October 10 to 12, 2024, at the National and University Library in Zagreb, Croatia. These prestigious events were organized by the Croatian Union of Innovators, bringing together a diverse range of innovators, academics, and industry leaders.
The exhibitions were held under the auspices of the International Federation of Inventors’ Associations (IFIA), the Croatian Association of Technical Culture, the University of Zagreb, and the National and University Library in Zagreb. The event received sponsorship from several key ministries, including the Ministry of the Economy, the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, as well as the State Institute for Intellectual Property. Partners supporting the event included HAMAG BICRO (Croatian Agency for SMEs, Innovation and Investments) and HBOR (Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development).
ARCA 2024 attracted more than 250 innovations from Croatia and various countries, including Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, North Macedonia, the USA, Moldova, Poland, Turkey, Iran, and China. The showcased innovations came from individual inventors, the research and development community, and innovative start-up companies, highlighting cutting-edge advancements from both Croatia and abroad.
A series of side-events were also organized, including the innovation forum titled “Innovation as a Booster for the Economic Development of Croatia,” a lecture on intellectual property rights by the State Institute for Intellectual Property, a presentation on the Finnish education system, and an EIT lecture introducing the “Food HUB Croatia” initiative. Additionally, over the course of the event, educational workshops for young people were conducted, including LegoWeDo activities for primary and secondary school students and a hands-on workshop on building xVidi mini computers.
The awarding ceremony recognized outstanding contributions in both the young and senior categories with gold, silver, and bronze medals. Special awards were also presented, including two prestigious WIPO awards. The winners of these WIPO awards were:
- Young Innovators Category: “AGRIS – Off-Grid Mobile Environmental Monitoring System” by students Lukas Pavlović, David Janžek, and mentor Tomislav Pavlek.
- Senior Innovators Category: “Machine for Cleaning Siberian Blueberry from Leaves” by Igor and Josip Hrustek.
Moreover, two special awards from IFIA were given to:
- “Machine for Marking and Masking Lines on the Floor with Adhesive Tape” by Bozo Buhin.
- “Innovative System for the Survival of Bees and Sustainable Beekeeping” by PIP Ltd, created by Ivan Bračić.
The Grand Prix award, the highest honor of the exhibition, was presented to Tehnix Ltd. for their innovation, “Special Modular Building for Social Purposes, for the Elderly and Disabled Persons”, designed by Dubravko Horvat.
ARCA 2024 once again proved to be a significant platform for fostering innovation and collaboration, driving progress in both national and international innovation communities.