On 10 September 2026, Portorož will host the BIOEAST Slovenia–Croatia Pitching Event 2026, bringing together some of the most promising bioeconomy innovators from Slovenia and Croatia. The event will take place as part of the 9th International Conference on Technologies and Business Models for Circular Economy (TBMCE 2026), organised by the Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at the University of Maribor, in cooperation with SRIP – Circular Economy and with Circular Change as conference partner.

This strong connection between regional bioeconomy innovation and one of the leading international circular economy conferences creates a unique opportunity for participants to present their solutions within a broader European dialogue on circular transition, technological innovation and new business models.

The pitching event is organised by Circular Change in collaboration with SI. BIO HUB Slovenia and BIOEAST HUB Croatia, within the BIOEAST Initiative and the BOOST4BIOEAST project.

Applications extended until 30 June

Due to strong interest, the application deadline has been extended to 30 June 2026.

We invite startups, SMEs, scale-ups, researchers, students, NGOs and other innovators developing solutions in:

• agroecology and sustainable yields

• biobased materials

• bioenergy and new value-added materials

• bioeconomy education

• food systems

• forest-based value chains

• freshwater bioeconomy

What selected participants gain

Selected applicants will receive:

• online pitching preparation with the Irish Bioeconomy Foundation

• the opportunity to pitch before an expert jury

• structured professional feedback

• moderated Q&A discussions

• 1:1 meetings with selected experts

• networking opportunities with key bioeconomy stakeholders

Solutions will be presented before an expert jury, with members including Tomaž Gorenc from Impact Hub Slovenia, alongside other experts from the fields of bioeconomy, innovation and sustainable business development.

Winners of the national pitching events will advance to the Pitch Perfect Matchmaking Event 2026 in Brussels, one of Europe’s key platforms for visibility, partnerships and investment opportunities in bioeconomy innovation.

Join us in Portorož this September and bring your innovation to the European bioeconomy stage.

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Part of Circular Change’s 10-year journey of enabling circular transitions through meaningful partnerships.