The ceremonial signing of grant agreements under the call Professionalization of Research Centers, implemented within the project Digital, Innovative and Green Technologies – DIGIT, was held last week at the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth in Zagreb.

On this occasion, a total of 13 grant agreements were awarded, with an overall value of EUR 5 million, intended for public higher education institutions and public research institutes in the Republic of Croatia.

The Only Institution in Croatia with Two Approved Projects

The Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing of the University of Zagreb (FER) achieved an exceptional success by securing two projects with a total value of EUR 694,000 within the DIGIT programme, implemented by the World Bank and the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth. FER is the only institution in Croatia to have been awarded as many as two projects within this programme, further confirming its leading role in innovation, applied research, and cooperation with industry.

Accelerating the Path from Top-Level Research to Market-Ready Solutions

"At FER, we are aware that innovations do not happen by themselves, but through fast and clearly structured processes that connect top-level research with the concrete needs of industry. Through these projects, we aim to accelerate the path from idea to market and offer industry long-term and reliable models of cooperation, both in Croatia and internationally. The development of competitive products and services is crucial for a strong and resilient economy, and FER sees its role in transforming knowledge and technologies into real added value for the business sector", emphasized Assoc. Prof. Tomislav Capuder, PhD, Vice Dean for Research and Innovation at FER.

FER as a Key Player in the Croatian Innovation and Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

The DIGIT programme is recognized as an important national and international initiative aimed at strengthening institutional capacities for knowledge transfer, innovation development, and commercialization of research results. The fact that FER’s projects were selected in strong competition confirms the quality of the proposed activities as well as the Faculty’s strategic orientation toward strengthening links between academia and industry.

The approved projects directly contribute to FER’s long-term mission in the areas of innovation, entrepreneurship, and research commercialization. Through the establishment and strengthening of structured processes for technology transfer, intellectual property management, and the encouragement of spin-off company creation, the projects create a solid foundation for the efficient transfer of scientific results to the market.

Special emphasis is placed on intensified cooperation with industry and small and medium-sized enterprises, fostering two-way knowledge transfer, innovation-driven entrepreneurship, and the development of new products and services with high added value. In this way, FER further contributes to strengthening the Croatian innovation ecosystem and consolidates its position as a leading institution in the field of applied research and its market application.

The awarding of two projects within the DIGIT programme confirms that FER’s strategic goals are recognized at both the national and international levels and represents a strong incentive for the further development of cooperation between science and industry.
 

About the Call "Professionalization of Research Centers"

Unlike traditional calls primarily focused on the procurement of equipment or the construction of infrastructure, the Professionalization of Research Centers call focuses on the internal transformation of research organizations. The awarded funds, ranging from EUR 60,000 to EUR 350,000 per project, are aimed at strengthening the managerial, organizational, and financial capacities of research centers, with the goal of increasing their efficiency, long-term sustainability, and openness to cooperation with the private sector. The DIGIT project – Digital, Innovative and Green Technologies – is one of the most important national development initiatives in the field of science, research, and innovation in the past decade.

Minister of Science, Education and Youth; Hrvoje Meštrić, PhD, Director of the Directorate for Science and Technology and DIGIT Project Coordinator; and Todor Milchevski, representative of the World Bank, the key international partner in the design and implementation of the project.

Grant agreements under this call were also awarded to the following institutions: the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Split; the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Information Technology of the Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek; the Ruđer Bošković Institute; the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology of the University of Zagreb; the School of Dental Medicine of the University of Zagreb; the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture of the University of Zagreb; the Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry of the University of Zagreb; the Faculty of Chemistry and Technology of the University of Split; the Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences of the University of Zagreb; the Zagreb University of Applied Sciences; and the Faculty of Science of the University of Split.