Two alumni of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing (FER) at the University of Zagreb have won prestigious ERC Consolidator Grants with a total value of €4 million: Prof. Tomislav Dragičević, PhD, from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) for the project ARTEFACT, and Prof. Ivan Dokmanić, PhD, from the University of Basel for the project PHASESHIFT. ERC Consolidator Grants are intended for excellent researchers and provide up to €2 million per project over five years to build a research team and conduct cutting-edge “frontier” research. In this first installment, we bring an interview with Prof. Tomislav Dragičević, a FER alumnus and professor at DTU Wind and Energy Systems, about his ERC project ARTEFACT – Reliable Online Learning in Power Converters to Unlock Flexibility from Motor Applications.  

Cooperation between the space industry, academia, investors, and public institutions; the state of the sector in Italy and Croatia; and shared areas of interest for strengthening bilateral cooperation in space research and the development of space technologies were discussed and presented at the Scientific Colloquium European Space Perspectives, held on 11 December 2025. The event was organized by the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing (FER), the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth of the Republic of Croatia, and the Embassy of Italy in Zagreb. We brought together leading representatives of the Croatian and European space ecosystem: Hrvoje Meštrić, PhD, Director of the Directorate for Science and Technology at the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth, Karol Brzostowski, the European Space Agency (ESA) Delegate responsible for Croatia, Francesco Soldovieri, PhD, Director of the Institute for Environmental Remote Sensing of the Italian National Research Council, H.E. Paolo Trichilo, Ambassador of Italy to Croatia; professors from Politecnico di Torino, Italy’s leading faculty in the field of space technologies; and representatives of companies operating in the industry.

The Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, one of the most prominent and most sought-after academic institutions in the fields of technical and computer sciences and innovation, marked its Faculty Day, FER Day, on 21 November 2025. The ceremony brought together numerous high-level guests: the Adviser to the President of the Republic of Croatia for Education and the President’s Envoy, Jadranka Žarković; the Minister of Economy, Ante Šušnjar, as the Prime Minister’s Envoy; the State Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, Branko Hrg, as the Envoy of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence; the Head of the Zagreb City Office for Education, Sports and Youth, Luka Juroš, on behalf of the Mayor of Zagreb; the Vice-Rector of the University of Zagreb, Tomislav Josip Mlinarić; representatives of other public bodies, ambassadors, and deans and vice-deans from universities across Croatia.

It’s time we share our expectations for this year’s 19th edition of Job Fair - it's around the corner! We know many of you have been waiting for those two days to spend at the region's biggest career festival! Well, the wait is finally over, because the chance to meet over 100 tech companies is just around the corner. Mark May 13th and 14th in your calendars, as thousands of students will join you in your visit for this year's Job Fair. Still in the neighborhood! We’re not leaving our usual spot, so this year we’ll once again host Job Fair at the Mozaik Event Center, transforming it into a hub of conversations, networking, and amusements for both students and company representatives. Whether it’s a relaxed conversation at a booth, participating in an interactive workshop, or networking during a talk, you won’t find a place with more opportunities to explore anywhere nearer than Job Fair.

A new year brings new goals, but only a few people make decisions that truly change their careers in the long term. If you are a STEM professional looking to advance, position yourself as a business leader, or launch your own startup, start 2026 with a strategic move! FER and the Bled School of Management – IEDC are opening applications for the 2nd generation of the Technical Leadership Program ( TLP ), an exclusive executive education program for a new generation of technology and business leaders . Following its successful launch in 2025, TLP has positioned itself as a meeting point of top-tier knowledge, practice, and leadership . The program brings together distinguished lecturers from Croatia and the wider region and offers an intensive, international experience focused on developing the competencies most in demand on today’s market: strategic thinking, business decision-making, and leading teams in technologically demanding environments. All of this is backed by the strength and credibility of two renowned brands — FER, the leading higher-education institution in the region, and IEDC Bled, one of Europe’s most respected business schools. The new TLP program cycle begins on February 16, 2026 , with applications open until January 31, 2026. More information about the program is available via the link .  

The fifth FER Connect, a traditional gathering of FER alumni and students, completely filled hall D1 where the guest lecture "Technology and Competitiveness: Europe and Croatia in the Race for the Future" was held by Siniša Krajnović, PhD. The new CEO of Ericsson Nikola Tesla (ENT) thrilled about 250 attendees by sharing his professional experience gained worldwide. He focused on Croatia’s position in technological development and compared its competitiveness and innovation with other European countries and China. Krajnović, PhD, emphasized a sense of responsibility toward the Croatian economy, as one of the leaders of the largest domestic ICT company, the necessity of strategic investment in knowledge and technology inspired by China, strengthening the unified European market, and talent development. The audience showed great interest, and the speaker answered questions for nearly an hour.

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the founding of quantum mechanics, the United Nations has declared 2025 the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology , emphasizing the critical importance of these increasingly relevant technologies for our society. With the rapid advancement of quantum technologies—especially quantum computers - the world has become aware that the realization of a quantum computer capable of compromising existing communication systems, such as RSA encryption, is now only a matter of time. CroQCI: Croatia's Contribution to the European Quantum Network To prepare for the so-called Q-Day , governments of the world's leading economies have adopted strategies to adapt their communication systems by developing quantum networks resistant to quantum computers , with security based on Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) . In line with this, the European Union launched the EuroQCI initiative (European Quantum Communication Infrastructure) in 2023, aiming to establish a pan-European quantum communication network . Croatia is participating through the CroQCI project (Croatian Quantum Communication Infrastructure), involving FER (Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing), along with CARNET, IRB, OIV, FPZ, IF, SRCE , and UVNS .

A new manufactoring facility of Gideon , one of Croatia’s most successful technology startups developing autonomous robotic systems for logistics , has been opened in Bolingbrook, a suburb of Chicago. At the invitation of Josip Ćesić, CEO of Gideon, and member of the Advisory and Alumni Boards of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing (FER), Dean Vedran Bilas attended the grand opening on October 16, 2025. He also took part in the panel "Physical-AI – Transforming the Physical World" alongside experts from Gideon , NVIDIA , and Prologis Ventures, one of the world’s largest companies in the logistics and supply chain sector.

At the begining of the December 2025, the Central European Regional Contest (CERC) of the ICPC was held at the Institute of Computer Science of the University of Wrocław. This is one of the strongest regional programming competitions in Europe . Among as many as 70 teams from 31 universities in eight countries, the team from the University of Zagreb achieved an outstanding result by winning a gold medal and a high 4th place , thereby securing qualification for the European ICPC student competition. An excellent 4th place was won by the team ZAGREB 1, consisting of Fran Babić (PMF–MO), Toni Brajko (FER, 3rd year of undergraduate studies) , and Ivan Janjić (PMF–MO), under the guidance of Krešimir Malnar. We are also proud of the result achieved by the ZAGREB 2 team, which placed 16th in extremely strong competition. The team consisted of Jakov Celin and Luka Duplančić from PMF, and Fran Škarica, a first-year FER student . This success further confirms the continuity of excellence among young FER students, starting from their very first year of study.

The FER Alumni community kicked off a new series of professional meetups with the inaugural event, "Security by Design" held on October 16, 2025, at Microblink’s offices in Zagreb. The event, organized in partnership between the FER Alumni Board and Microblink, brought together leading experts from academia and the tech industry to discuss the latest trends, challenges, and innovations in cybersecurity .

“Croatia’s high-tech exports amount to only one-third of the European Union average. If we wish to secure competitiveness and sustainable growth, we must invest in knowledge, infrastructure, and people," stated Prof. Dr. Vedran Bilas, Dean of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing (FER), in his keynote address on "Technologies of the Future / Challenges of Global Trade" at the 20th Convention of Croatian Exporters, held under the high patronage of the Government of the Republic of Croatia. "Without investment in high technology, it will be difficult to retain the outstanding engineers and PhDs educated in Croatia, as they wish to work on future-oriented projects or on technologically mature topics of global relevance. By introducing such technologies into Croatia, we are laying the foundations for a more advanced, resilient, and competitive nation, which simultaneously promotes wider social development," Dean Bilas concluded.