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PROJECT IN DEVELOPMENT · OPEN FOR COLLABORATION
Croatian diaspora.
Return and innovation in Split.
A centre in Split turning Croatian diaspora connections into skills, prototypes and new opportunities. A development project led by the Kuća Drpić association.
KUĆA DRPIĆ · SPLITActive association · Split, Croatia43°30′ N — 16°26′ EDALMATIA INNOVA / 2027
200–250 m²
Target space in Split
€112,600
Equipment and fit-out · baseline estimate
36 months
Proposed initial programme
01 / INFRASTRUCTURE FOR CREATING
From a connection to Croatia
to a life project.
Return takes more than arrival: access to tools, knowledge, networks and opportunities to put an idea into practice. Dalmatia Innova proposes connecting returnees and descendants of Croatian emigrants with local talent, entrepreneurs and international collaborators.
Learn
Develop practical digital, creative and production skills.
Prototype
Design, make and test early solutions in a shared setting.
Build a venture
Prepare a project, first production run or activity with specialist support.
KUĆA DRPIĆ / SPLIT
There is now an accountable legal entity.
Kuća Drpić leads the initiative and is entered in the Croatian Register of Associations. It provides an organizational framework for coordinating contributors, formalizing agreements and reporting on project development.
DALMATIA · MEDITERRANEAN · WORLD
Dalmatia, a meeting point for Mediterranean innovation.
Our vision is to help Dalmatia become a Mediterranean innovation hub, connecting Split and Croatia with the Balkans, Europe and Croatian communities worldwide. Dalmatia Innova proposes a pilot space where returnees, local professionals and diaspora collaborators can learn, make and develop projects together.
Return and community
Connect international experience with local knowledge to prepare life and work projects in Croatia.
Crafts and new businesses
Design products, test prototypes and explore small production runs for crafts, creative work and digital businesses.
International cooperation
Prepare workshops, knowledge exchanges and joint projects connecting Split, the Mediterranean and the diaspora.
The centre is in development. Opening and programmes depend on premises, funding and confirmed agreements.
RETURNEES, DIASPORA AND NEW OBRTI IN SPLIT
Return, participate
and build a livelihood.
Dalmatia Innova addresses a specific need: connecting returnees and descendants of Croatian emigrants with tools, knowledge and a local community for developing life and work projects in Split and Dalmatia.
Return and integration in Split
Return involves language, housing, documents, work and everyday connections. We propose workshops, encounters and connections with professionals and official sources, complementing Retorno Croata’s documentary work. The centre is in development; these programmes are not presented as services already available.
Crafts and new obrti
An obrt can cover trades, production or services; it is not limited to handicrafts. The centre proposes helping move from a skill to a sample, a first run and a project: textiles, design objects, digital fabrication, publishing and content.
Business models connecting Croatia and its diaspora
The proposal connects returnees’ skills with local contributors and diaspora contacts through design, production, communication, digital sales and user testing. Starting an activity requires checking demand, costs, capabilities and applicable requirements.
02 / STEP INTO THE CONCEPT
One space.
Many possibilities.
Explore the whole proposal and its different settings. The panorama lets you look around; the other views show the layout and character of individual zones.
PROJECT OVERVIEWDALMATIA INNOVA
Concept visualization illustrating the intended space and uses. It is not an operating centre or a construction-ready architectural design. The final layout depends on the available property, technical feasibility and secured resources.
03 / CAPABILITIES WORKING TOGETHER
From an idea
to something you can show.
Select a programme to explore its tools, uses and possible support. Equipment is prioritized in phases according to demand and resources.
Concept visualizationAI & Digital Studio
Applied digital development for real projects: design, automation, AI tools with human review and application prototypes. A space to move from research to a first solution that can be tested.
- Planned tools
- Workstations, CAD, design and automation
- Programme application
- Digital prototypes, application mockups and publications
Proposed activities
- Digital solution design
- Application prototypes
- Human-reviewed automation
CULTURE, PUBLISHING AND COMMUNITY
What we create here
should reach beyond it.
The laboratory and cultural production are parts of the same project. Knowledge, stories and objects should find audiences in Split and Croatian communities around the world.
Proposed programme: timing and scope depend on collaborators, resources and agreements. Images illustrate the concept, not activities already delivered in an operating centre.
04 / FUND CAPABILITIES WITH CLEAR MILESTONES
Everything does not have
to start at once.
Explore the estimate by module. This tool supports a conversation about priorities; it does not process payments or represent committed funds.
Build a support scenario
Amounts from the original presentation, subject to supplier quotations and technical validation. They are not a 36-month operating budget: rent, staff, utilities, maintenance, insurance and tax treatment must be costed separately. This presentation does not declare confirmed funding.
WAYS TO MAKE IT HAPPEN
Space and infrastructure
Use of a property, rent on agreed terms or fit-out of an accessible space in Split.
Equipment and technology
Equipment, licences or technical services with documented use and maintenance terms.
Sponsorship and collaboration
Support a programme or phase, with agreed scope, visibility and deliverables.
Grants and donations
Institutional, philanthropic or grant funding for eligible activities and costs.
Kuća Drpić is a nonprofit association. This proposal seeks funding, donations and partnerships; it offers no equity, interest or financial returns. Business collaborations require specific agreements.
05 / PREPARE, ACTIVATE, DEMONSTRATE
Close 2026 with direction.
Start 2027 with a plan.
Secure the conditions
Identify a property, check permitted use and technical needs, refresh supplier quotes and agree a funding plan.
Activate a first capability
Install priority modules and prepare initial workshops. Opening depends on premises, funding and applicable permissions.
Measure and consolidate
Track participation, prototypes and supported initiatives; evaluate use, costs and continuity before expanding.
Each phase proceeds when its resources and conditions are secured; this is a proposed schedule, not a confirmed opening date.
06 / OUTCOMES THAT CAN BE EVALUATED
Visible ambition.
Verifiable follow-through.
Preliminary 36-month programme targets from the original proposal. They will be reviewed against space, team, funding and the operating plan. They are neither achieved nor guaranteed results.
200–400Participants
50–100Supported initiatives
300+Prototypes
500+Products or small runs
Traceable support
Proposed practice: itemized budgets, justified purchases, written agreements and milestone reporting.
Programme evaluation
Planned indicators: participation, usage hours, prototypes, supported initiatives and learning outcomes.
Centre continuity
Develop a mix of project funding, collaboration and services consistent with the association’s purposes, subject to accounting and regulatory validation.
07 / A TEAM AND AN EXISTING FOUNDATION
The centre is new.
The connections already exist.
La Casa Drpić, Croatian Diaspora Origin and Retorno Croata bring cultural, documentary and digital work linked to the founding team. Dalmatia Innova proposes carrying that connection into a physical space for learning and creating.
Kuća DrpićProject promoter
Croatian Diaspora OriginCroatia · World
La Casa DrpićCulture · Heritage
Retorno CroataCroatia · Diaspora
Eduardo Morong Derpich
Founder and president · project developmentDigital communicator, author and initiator of cultural and digital projects connecting Croatia and its diaspora.
Raúl Drpić Céspedes
Co-founder and vice-president · documentary researchFamily documentation research and connections between descendants, returnees and Croatian sources.
Maja Cafuk Crnogorac
Co-founder and secretary general · certified translationMaja Cafuk Crnogorac, permanent court interpreter for Spanish, with a master’s degree in Spanish Language and Literature from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb.
CONNECTIONS WITH SPLIT
The project was presented to the City of Split. We are currently seeking support and agreements for its development.
Questions about the project
Is Dalmatia Innova already open?
Not yet. It is a project in development led by Kuća Drpić in Split. We are seeking premises, funding and agreements to launch the first phase.
How does it relate to returning to Croatia?
The project aims to connect returnees and Croatian descendants with local professionals, tools and activities to develop projects. It does not grant citizenship, residency, public benefits or automatic funding.
How can funders and collaborators participate?
Support an equipment module, offer infrastructure or services, donate or propose a partnership. Contact the association to agree scope, budget and reporting.
KUĆA DRPIĆ / DALMATIA INNOVA
Help launch Dalmatia Innova.
Your contribution can support premises, equipment and initial activities. You can also offer equipment, services or a partnership.
Donations will be available soon. The association’s bank account is being set up.
08 / BUILD THE FIRST PHASE
Your support can
activate a capability.
Tell us what you can contribute and what you need to evaluate the project. Let us discuss scope, conditions and next steps.
info@kucadrpic.com ↗+385 91 948 6868Maja Cafuk Crnogorac · secretary general of Kuća Drpić
KUĆA DRPIĆOIB 88553316041 · SPLIT