News and insights

The first European Centre of...

The first European Centre of Excellence in Croatia: FER and partners establishing CoE MARBLE

Petra Škaberna

Croatia is getting its first centre of excellence funded under the prestigious European Union program Horizon Europe Teaming! " CoE MARBLE - Centre of Excellence in Maritime Robotics and Technologies for Sustainable Blue Economy " is a project coordinated and founded by FER and partners the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, the National Research Council of Italy, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Maritime Innovation Cluster, DIH Agrifood Croatia, and the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth of the republic of Croatia. In addition to i nvesting in excellent researchers in the field of marine robotics and technologies from around the world, the infrastructure investments will include the headquarters of the CoE MARBLE at the premises of the Brodarski institut and three pilot sites in Šibenik and Rijeka: a smart mussel farm, a smart marina, and a maritime autonomous vehicles and environmental monitoring testing site in Šibenik. The MARBLE Centre of Excellence has been selected to receive funding of 30 million euros in a competitive evaluation process that lasted almost a year and a half.

FER Honors 491 Master of Engineering...

FER Honors 491 Master of Engineering Graduates

Petra Škaberna

On Saturday, December 14, 2024, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, University of Zagreb (FER) promoted 491 university master of engineering graduates, who completed their graduate studies in the academic year 2023/2024. The ceremonial promotion of graduates was opened by the Dean Vedran Bilas, and motivational speeches were given by FER alumni Damir Sabol, co-founder of Photomath, Izabel Jelenić, co-founder of Infobip, and entrepreneur Luka Abrus. "With a FER degree, you can work anywhere in the world. But there is only one place in the world called home. Together we do new, great things from Croatia for the whole world. Together we are the force that moves and advances Croatia", said Dean Bilas in his opening speech.

We need policies to make Croatia a...

We need policies to make Croatia a technological country

Petra Škaberna

On the occasion of the celebration of Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing Day , November 22, 2024, Dean Prof. Vedran Bilas, PhD, reflected on the outstanding international achievements of FER’s researchers and scientists. He also called for the unification of all stakeholders around the vision of a technologically strong Croatia. Dean Bilas shared with attendees that ensuring the technological progress of the country is one of FER's strategic goals . However, he emphasized the need to reform the science and higher education system if Croatian universities are to become environments that foster ambition, scientific discovery, and innovation. "Croatia needs policies that will make our country technologically advanced; we need a concentration of technological knowledge, research enthusiasm, and intellectual capital, effectively managed", Dean Bilas stated . He highlighted that FER can and will be a catalyst for Croatia's technological transformation, particularly in the academic domain and industry relations. However, cooperation among all stakeholders—policy, industry, and academia—is essential to build a system and framework for implementing this vision.

Apply for a scholarship for the...

Apply for a scholarship for the European Master on Control of Renewable Energy Systems

Petra Škaberna

EU-CORE: European Master on Control of Renewable Energy Systems is a joint graduate study implemented by Ecole Central Nantes (ECN), the University of Zagreb and Brandenburg Technische Universitaet Cottbus-Senftenberg (BTU), and the call for applications for the first generation of students who will study with the support of an Erasmus scholarship and who will start this study in the winter semester of the academic year 2025/2026 is currently ongoing, with 31 January 2025 as the application deadline . All candidates who will have completed their undergraduate studies by the beginning of the next academic year are eligible. The call for admission with the support of an Erasmus scholarship scholarship is competitive and conducted worldwide, with a regularly very large number of applications, and candidates are required to prove their excellence first through documentary evidence and then through an interview for the shortlisted candidates. Students spend the first semester at Ecole Centrale Nantes, the second at FER, and the third at BTU, and then in the fourth semester they stay at the university to which their chosen mentor is affiliated for the preparation and defense of their master thesis. More information about the study and the call is available here .

FER Scientists Receive State Science...

FER Scientists Receive State Science Awards for 2023

Petra Škaberna

At the session of the Committee for the Allocation of State Science Awards, appointed by a decision of the Croatian Parliament, held on December 23, 2024, the decision to grant the State Science Awards for 2023 was made. This year, FER scientists received an impressive three awards! The Lifetime Achievement Award in the field of technical sciences was presented to Prof. Zdenko Kovačić, PhD, for his comprehensive scientific, educational, and professional work in the field of robotics and intelligent control systems. The Annual Award for Young Researchers/Scientists was awarded to Assist. Prof. Marko Đurasević, PhD, in the field of technical sciences and Assist. Prof. Stjepan Šebek, PhD, in the field of natural sciences. Marko Đurasević was recognized for significant scientific achievements in the field of technical sciences, specifically for his research on new methods of scheduling and routing, with a particular emphasis on the automatic development of heuristics. Stjepan Šebek received the annual award for young scientists in the field of natural sciences, specifically in mathematics, in the branches of probability theory and statistics, for outstanding results in the study of geometric properties and potential theory of random walks. Congratulations to our colleagues on their well-deserved awards!

ICENT's Nuqleus secures €1.1...

ICENT's Nuqleus secures €1.1 million for high-tech startup development

Petra Škaberna

The Innovation Center Nikola Tesla (ICENT) and the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth have signed a contract to implement a project to build a Croatian startup ecosystem worth 1.1 million euros. The agreement was signed within the framework of the "Digital, Innovative, and Green Technologies (DIG-IT)" project, through which the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth, with the support of the World Bank, seeks to improve the conditions for research, development and innovation, and thus Croatia's position in the digital and green transition. The main backbone of this project will be ICENT’s research entrepreneurship program, Nuqleus , known for its success in uniting the scientific community. Currently, in addition to researchers from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing in Zagreb, the program also includes researchers from 14 partner scientific and research institutions, such as the Ruđer Bošković Institute, the Faculty of Organization and Informatics in Varaždin, the Faculty of Science in Zagreb, the Institute of Economics in Zagreb, and others. Now, with this new support, ICENT plans to significantly expand the scope of activities aimed at launching and developing deep-tech startups.

The UN's 17 Sustainable...

The UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals - Universities as incubators of new ideas

Petra Škaberna

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development , which was adopted by all member states of the United Nations in 2015, provides a global framework for improving the quality of life of all people on our planet. At the heart of this plan are 17 Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs ), which direct efforts towards eradicating poverty, reducing inequality and stimulating economic growth, while simultaneously caring for the environment. Universities play a key role in achieving the goals of sustainable development, as they serve as incubators of new ideas and solutions for the numerous global challenges we face. The UN therefore launched The United Nations Academic Impact initiative in 2010, which connects students, the academic community, scientists and researchers around the world. Thanks to a dynamic network of higher education institutions, this initiative serves the wider international community as a source of energy and innovation for young people and the research community.

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