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.
 

Electric Motors as a Silent Source of Grid Flexibility

"ARTEFACT addresses the question of how electric motors, which drive pumps, fans, and compressors in water supply, heating, cooling, and ventilation systems, can be transformed into a ‘silent’ source of flexibility for the power system. Today, these motors consume more than half of the world’s electricity, yet they are very rarely used for grid balancing. The main idea of the project is to develop methods that allow each drive (frequency converter) to independently learn how flexible it is i.e., how much and for how long it can change its power consumption without disrupting the core function of the process—using physics-based models and uncertainty-aware artificial intelligence that runs directly in the converter. This yields compact, standardized information about how much flexibility a motor can offer to the grid and with what level of reliability. If the project succeeds, the expected impact is that existing motors will begin to be viewed as a kind of 'virtual battery' that can help stabilize systems with a high share of renewable energy sources, without additional investment in new equipment", emphasized Prof. Dragičević.
 

Decarbonization Challenges and Benefits for Society and Industry

"The project targets several current challenges: the decarbonization of energy systems and the European Green Deal; the need to integrate very large shares of wind and solar power while maintaining system reliability; shortages of flexibility as fossil power plants are phased out; scalability and cybersecurity; and the management of millions of small consumers without sending sensitive data to the cloud, in line with the NIS2 directive. For society, the results could mean reduced dependence on fossil power plants, less need for costly grid reinforcements and large battery systems, and a more stable system with more renewable sources. For industry, the idea is that existing motor-driven installations - through smarter control - can generate additional revenues in ancillary services markets without disrupting core processes and without exposing internal data to third parties", explained Prof. Dragičević.
 

FER as a Foundation for Combining “Software and Energy”

Dragičević also reflected on key moments during his education and early research work at FER and the crucial steps that led him to the ERC grant.

"At FER, several things were particularly important to me. First, I had a mentor who, despite my PhD being industry-funded and strongly focused on immediate application, strongly supported my decision to go abroad for further training. This openness to mobility and long-term research career development was crucial - it’s much easier to make such a decision when your mentor stands behind it. Second, the solid foundations in programming and power engineering that I gained during my studies at FER gave me the confidence to later move between modeling, control, algorithms, and real energy systems. This combination of 'software and energy' is practically the foundation of what I do today. Third, outstanding researchers from my generation also played a major role.

The example of my colleague Hrvoje Pandžić, who was among the first to complete a successful period abroad and return with strong international experience, very concretely showed that 'it really is possible' and that the path from FER to an internationally competitive career is not just a theory", emphasized Prof. Dragičević.
 

From FER to an ERC Grant

"After FER, a series of steps followed, each building on the previous one: a PhD and early research closely connected to an industrial environment; going abroad and working in strong research groups in power electronics and drives; gradually taking on leadership of projects and teams; building my own research niche at the intersection of converters, system flexibility, and applied machine learning; establishing a laboratory and later a spin-out company, which gave me insight into both the industrial and research perspectives on the same topic.

Looking back, the key was that one core line of interest (converters, control, flexibility) was consistently developed over more than 10 years, while the tools and context around it changed (microgrids, smart grids, AI, flexibility aggregation)", Prof. Dragičević described his path.
 

A Message to Young Researchers and FER Alumni

Finally, Dragičević shared several pieces of advice for young researchers and FER alumni aiming for top international projects such as ERC grants.

"A few concrete tips from my own experience. Invest seriously in fundamentals - mathematics, models, systems. This always pays off and gives you the confidence to enter new fields. Get a taste of real research as early as possible - get involved in projects, write papers, take responsibility for part of the research already as students or PhD candidates. Be mobile - time spent in a strong group abroad is often crucial for developing independence and networks. Build your own line of ideas—ERC does not look only for a 'good executor', but for someone with a clear vision and a consistent track record in one area. Don’t be afraid of rejection—the path to an ERC grant is usually not 'first attempt, first success'. What matters is to extract as much as possible from each attempt, take the reviews seriously, and make visible improvements.

And perhaps most importantly: surround yourself with people who believe it is possible - at FER and later on. That changes your perspective tremendously."

In the second installment, we will present an interview with Prof. Ivan Dokmanić, recipient of the ERC Consolidator Grant for the project PHASESHIFT – Phase-Space Foundations for Scientific Machine Learning.