It’s safe to say we exceeded everyone’s expectations (including our own) with the final conference of this year’s STEMwave season in Croatia. We asked ourselves: “What if we invited even more exhibitors this year and opened the doors to all schools across Croatia – could we handle it?”
It became a true stress test for both the organizing team and the Infobip campus. Now, a few days later, we can confidently say that this 5th edition of Innovation Day was not only the biggest, but also the best so far.
Throughout the day, over 1,200 visitors, mostly students and teachers from primary and secondary schools across Croatia, as well as parents and tech enthusiasts — had the opportunity to explore the future firsthand, trying out technologies and innovations presented by 40+ companies, universities, schools, and associations.
The campus buzzed with activity, inspiration, and discovery.
🔧 From Autonomous Robots to Real-Time Simulators
Top STEM faculties like FER, FSB, and FOI brought autonomous robots and cutting-edge technology. Students eagerly spoke to student-led exhibitor teams about university life and choosing the right path for their future.
The Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences raised awareness about mobile phone use while driving. Visitors tried a city-driving simulator while texting, and an instructor counted their violations – a perfect blend of fun, technology, and education.
VERN University wowed attendees with robot digger control challenges and much more – their booth was so popular it was hard to get through the crowd.
📍 Big Names, Big Crowds
Our project partners, A1 Hrvatska and Infobip, made this large-scale event possible with their support, but also drew big crowds at their booths. A1’s driving simulator had long lines, and Infobip’s technical word puzzle was a true hit with all generations.
Of course, we at Stemi had something for everyone, too. From coding challenges to AI prompt battles. The fastest and most creative participants took home awesome prizes. What impressed us even more was the high level of English fluency, even among the youngest students!
🎮 VR, Drones, Board Games, and Go-Karts!
Visitors lined up to try the Akcelerator’s exoskeleton, while booths from associations such as Fablab, Virtualci, SKIIZ, HROBOS, Baltazar, and the Institute for Science Popularization offered VR tools, cryptographic puzzles, and interactive exhibits.
Competitions, challenges and games were on every corner of the campus:
- ORQA held drone-racing challenges with prizes for the most skilled pilots
- Hall of Game Arena (Zagreb) organized exciting 2v2 tournaments in Rocket League and FIFA
- Magic Omens hosted board games
- the attendees could try out Explore Europe, an award-winning educational quiz game created in Croatia
- at the Sportreact booth visitors trained agility using laser technology, a hit among the active crowd
🧠 Digital Safety and Student-Led Innovations
Primary schools like OŠ Vukomerec and OŠ Rovišće showcased videos for Safer Internet Day and a digital escape room promoting cybersecurity awareness and data protection.
Secondary schools such as technical schools Čakovec and Daruvar, alongside schools Marko Marulić Slatina, Gimnazija Lucijana Vranjanina Zagreb, and Electrotechnical and Traffic School Osijek presented STEM projects, many of which won international awards.
Secondary school Ivan Seljanec Križevci even went a step further — bringing real, student-built go-karts they use for racing!
The crowd gathered around Ruđer Bošković School, where visitors competed in a memory challenge against students – trying to recall decimals. The current school record is unbelievable 313 digits! 🤯
🎤 Panels, Workshops, and Keynotes
This year, we were honored to host the State Secretary of Croatian Ministry of Education Dr. Iva Ivanković, who spoke at the opening alongside Marin Trošelj (Stemi), Marin Bezić (Infobip), and Iva Turčin (A1).
After the opening, the main stage remained full of energy.
- Panel #1: A hybrid between panel and presentation, moderated by Marin Trošelj, included speakers from Infobip and A1, and STEMwave ambassadors Anita Belančić (teacher) and Lucija Blažek (student)
- Panel #2: Led by Tonka Delić (Stemi) with guests Olivera Stojaković, Zvijezdana Žigolić Južvak, and Janja Linardić, offered valuable insight into the real impact of STEMwave across Croatian schools
In addition to panels and keynotes, teachers joined a workshop with Infobip’s team development experts to explore generational differences between Gen Z and Gen Alpha – and how to best support them.
🧠 A Morning to Remember: Dr. Boris Jokić
Renowned psychologist and scientist Dr. Boris Jokić delivered a keynote that was not only educational, but deeply inspiring. He explored:
✅whether the current education model can meet future challenges
✅the role of full digitalization
✅what kind of system we need
✅and how to build it in Croatia 📝
The Q&A session went far beyond the planned 30 minutes 🤯 – and Dr. Jokić generously answered every student’s question.
🔌 Afternoon Highlights: Tech That’s Changing the World
The second keynote speaker, Dragan Petric, presented “5 Technologies That Are Changing the World”, touching on AI, digital health, tech-based food, electric mobility, and smart cities. All of them were illustrated with real-world product examples already shaping our lives.
🏆 Student Presentations & Awards
Ten winning school teams took the stage to present their STEMwave projects, including Croatian schools:
- I.gimnazija Osijek, OŠ Rovišće, Gimnazija Bjelovar, Srednja škola fra Andrije Kačića Miošića Ploče, OŠ Ivane Brlić Mažuranić Ogulin, OŠ Oroslavje, Prva srednja škola Beli Manastir, OŠ Vladimir Nazor Križevci, OŠ Bedenica and Gimnazija Lucijana Vranjanina Zagreb
The event concluded with a group photo of all winners and a shared moment of celebration.
🌊 A Movement, Not Just a Vision
Innovation Day 2025 reaffirmed its role as a key catalyst for building an inspiring and innovative learning environment for youth in Croatia.
This would not have been possible without our incredible partners:
Infobip, A1 Hrvatska, AVL, Span, PBZ, Arena Centar, INA, Solvership, Aluflexpack, and many others who are helping us build the education of the future.
In just under five years, we’ve achieved something extraordinary. An idea born in the small croatian village of Višnjan has grown into a movement.
Today, STEMwave – School of the Future is no longer a dream.
It’s a living, breathing reality.
And every one of us has the power to be part of it.
💧🌊 To be the drop that creates the wave of change. 💧🌊
Stemi team