The International Centre for Underwater Archaeology in Zadar was founded in 2007 in the frame of the Croatian Conservation Institute and soon – pursuant to an international agreement signed between UNESCO and the Republic of Croatia in 2009 – became an independent public institution and gained the status of a UNESCO category II centre. Management is conducted and primary funding provided by the Republic of Croatia and UNESCO.
The International Centre for Underwater Archaeology in Zadar aims to preserve and promote underwater cultural heritage in Croatia, the Mediterranean and Europe.