In the period after Croatia’s accession to the European Union (2013), the University of Rijeka achieved outstanding results in securing EU financing for projects in the area of research, innovation and education, with more than 40 million euro invested in capacity-building investment projects thus fostering the future development of the University.
The central point for all EU funding-related questions at the central level of the University of Rijeka is the University Centre for Research and Innovation, namely its two units:
- Centre for EU Cohesion Policy Instruments, and
- Centre for EU Programmes.
These two units were previously integrated in the Centre for EU projects, which started working back in 2002 and mostly dealt with preparation and implementation of Tempus projects, with its scope of work enlarging throughout the years to encompass Instrument for Pre-accession of the European Union (CARDS, IPA), Framework programmes, Life-long Learning programmes and other EU funding schemes.
Currently, the centres are in charge of European Structural and Investment Funds, Interreg programmes and EU programmes, with rich experience and expertise in preparing and managing strategic projects funded from the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, Horizon 2020 programme and Erasmus+ programme.
A selection of EU funded projects that the Centre has participated in since 2013 can be found in the list below.
If you have any questions regarding any of the above, feel free to contact us at projektiEU@uniri.hr!
Horizon Europe
North Adriatic Hydrogen Valley – NAHV
The NAHV project’s high-level objective is the creation of a hydrogen-based economic, social and industrial ecosystem based on the capacity of the quadruple helix actors. This will drive economic growth, generating new job opportunities in the framework of both the green and digital transitions and, by creating the conditions for wider EU replicability, it will contribute to the creation of a European Hydrogen Economy,
The project will start on 1 September 2023 and will last until 31 August 2029.
More information about the project can be found here.
Yufe4Postdocs (Y4P)
Yufe4Postdocs is a part of the Young Universities for the Future of Europe (YUFE) Alliance, which brings together nine young research-intensive universities from across Europe.
YUFE4Postdocs aims to train future proof researchers, building bridges between academia and society. It features a novel evaluation procedure based primarily on qualitative judgement and offers an attractive training including interactive stakeholder engagement seminars and a variety of joint transferable skills training sessions.
The project started on 1 January 2023 and will last until 31 December 2027.
More information about the project can be found here.
Strengthening the capacity for excellence of Slovenian and Croatian innovation ecosystems to support the digital and green transitions of maritime regions (INNO2MARE)
The INNO2MARE project will support the digital and green transitions in western Slovenian and Adriatic Croatian innovation ecosystems. INNO2MARE will address some of the key challenges related to maritime education and training, security and safety in marine traffic as well as energy conversion and management systems’ efficiency.
In addition to supporting the engagement of citizens in the innovation process and smart skills training, the project will reduce the innovation divide by connecting the innovation actors within the ecosystems.
The project started on 1 January 2023 and will last until 31 December 2026.
More information about the project can be found here.
Open and Universal Science (OPUS)
The main goal of the OPUS project is to develop coordination and support measures to reform the assessment of research and researchers at Research Performing Organisations (RPOs) and Research Funding Organisations (RFOs) towards a system that incentivizes and rewards researchers to take up Open Science practices.
Open Science practices consist of providing open access to research outputs, early and open sharing of research, participation in open peer-review, measures to ensure reproducibility of results, and involving all stakeholders in co-creation.
The project started on 1 September 2022 and will last until 31 August 2025.
More information about the project can be found here.
Sustainable Careers for Researcher Empowerment (SECURE)
The SECURE project will build on existing policies and recommendations for improving research careers. SECURE will develop coordination and support measures to create, trial, implement, and mainstream a common Research Career Framework (RCF) that offers a suite of options to support organizations in the recruitment, employment, training, development, progression, and mobility of researchers with the aim to improve research careers and reduce career precarity.
The project started on 1 January 2023 and will last until 31 January 2024.
More information about the project can be found here.
Reconnect Science with the Blue Society (Blue-connect)
The main objective of Blue-connect is to reconnect science with society by bringing research and researchers closer to the public, boosting public recognition of science and research education, and building trust and understanding of science and its impact on the blue society in the region.
Researchers at Schools will implement interactive experiments and workshops to boost pupil’s curiosity and interest in research and science careers. Activities during the NIGHT will allow the public and youth to participate in experiments that will help them understand research and science.
The project started on 1 May 2022 and will last until 31 October 2023.
More information about the project can be found here.
Towards a pioneering European University that powers a new generation of student entrepreneurs and innovators (Inno4YUFE)
Inno4YUFE aims at removing barriers to student entrepreneurship and reinforcing the role of HEIs as launchpads towards entrepreneurial career pathways.
Inno4YUFE’s vision is for YUFE to become a pioneering and truly innovative and entrepreneurial European university by 2030, uniting innovation ecosystems across Europe and powering hundreds of student entrepreneurs and innovators that will generate breakthroughs to tackle global challenges.
The project started on 1 July 2021 and will last until 30 June 2023.
More information about the project can be found here.
Horizon 2020
Developing and Implementing hands-on training on Open Science and Open Innovation for Early Career Researchers (DIOSI)
The DIOSI project proposes a full cycle concept on doctoral education, from the development of a new joint doctoral educational programme, through the provision of training on Open Science and Open Innovation & Entrepreneurship for doctoral candidates and early career researchers (DCs and ECRs), to the measurement of impact of such training, by creating an impact and graduate tracking framework.
The project started on 1 January 2021 and will last until 31 December 2022.
More information about the project can be found here.
YUFE Transforming Research and Innovation through Europe-wide Knowledge Transfer – YUFERING
The YUFERING project will set out actions and recommendations towards a model of Research and Innovation (R&I) system, where excellence and inclusivity unite to transform and enhance European Universities and the R&I ecosystem.
YUFERING also allows the YUFE Alliance to explore synergies with the other European Universities initiatives towards addressing shared challenges in R&I as well as formulating solutions that could enable a deep transformation of all missions of universities.
The project started on 1 March 2021 and will last until 29 February 2024.
More information about the project can be found here.
Project Techno-Past-Techno-Future: European Researchers’ Night (TPTF-ERN)
European Researchers’ Nights are public events dedicated to bringing researchers closer to the public. They showcase the diversity of research and highlight the impact of research on our daily lives. The aim of this action is also to motivate young people to embark on research careers.
This is the second time for UNIRI to participate in this type of action. In 2013 we had successful application and implementation and that was the reason to join this project in 2018/2019 again. European Researchers´ Night 2018/2019 in Rijeka is organized in the Tower Center Rijeka.
The project started on 1 August 2018 and will last until 31 October, 2019.
More information about the project can be found here.
BESTPRAC
BESTPRAC is a network of administrative, financial and legal staff from universities and other research-driven institutions, who are carrying out different tasks to support transnational competition based (in particular EU-funded) research projects.
The network serves as a platform for exchanging experiences, developing best practices, encouraging knowledge sharing and increasing efficiency in the field of research support. It is based on peer learning and active participation of its members.
BESTPRAC is open and inclusive, which enables the network to constantly grow and develop. It is especially aimed towards people from COST Inclusiveness Target Countries and people new to research administration, enabling them to grow in their professional roles. Many learning materials (guides, FAQs, recommendations, survey results,…) were created through numerous activities of the network.
BESTPRAC was started in 2014 as a COST Targeted Network. Even though the COST funding subsided in October 2019, BESTPRAC is still active and trying to find alternative ways of sustaining the fantastic network of research support staff that was created.
Supporting and Implementing Plans for gender Equality in Academia and Research (SPEAR)
SPEAR (Supporting and Implementing Plans for gender Equality in Academia and Research) is a Coordination and Support Action project funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Science with and for Society (SwafS) programme. SPEAR will focus on supporting implementation of gender equality plans (GEPs) in European universities in accordance with the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE)’s toolkit GEAR.
SPEAR aims to foster sustainability in GE-practices in academia through a range of measures and outcomes, including ties to other EU-based GE projects, network and community building within and beyond SPEAR, and formulation of practicable policy recommendations.
The project started on 1 January 2019 and will last until 30 April 2023.
More information about the project can be found here.
HERItage conference: “The Role of Cultural Heritage in Socio-Economic Development and Preservation of Democratic Values”
Within Croatia’s presidency of the Council of the European Union the University of Rijeka has the honor to host and organize a conference entitled “The Role of Cultural Heritage in Socio-Economic Development and Preservation of Democratic Values – HERItage”, which is set to take place on March 11-13, 2020. The conference is organized in collaboration with the Croatian Ministry of Science and Education and is financed through Horizon 2020: Europe in a changing world – inclusive, innovative and reflective societies.
The project started on 21 November 2019 and will last until 20 September 2020.
More information about the conference can be found here.
Erasmus +
Young Universities for the Future of Europe (YUFE 2030)
The YUFE Alliance consists of nine young research-intensive universities and two non-academic organisations from across Europe working together to support European citizens to become globally oriented lifelong learners, equipped to make meaningful contributions to the communities in which they live, learn and work.
The YUFE Alliance has actively used the first YUFE pilot project (2019-2022) to design and test structures and activities that put in place the foundations of our future European University. The outcomes of the first pilot have contributed to the development of the YUFE Vision 2030.
The project started on 1 November 2022 and will last until 30 November 2026.
More information about the project can be found here.
Future-proof Criteria for Innovative European Education (FOCI)
The FOCI project – which brings together members of the YUFE, ECIU and EPICUR Alliances – has been selected by the European Commission together with 5 other pilot projects under the Erasmus+ programme towards exploring and piloting the possible criteria that will be the basis for the future European Degree (label).
FOCI project includes amongst its key activities the piloting of the European Degree label criteria in the context of a set of joint programmes and other educational models provided by the three Alliances.
The project started on 1 April 2023 and will last until 30 April 2024.
More information about the project can be found here.
Steering Higher Education for Community Engagement (SHEFCE)
The long-term objective of the SHEFCE project is to contribute to the increasing community engagement of European universities, in the form of partnerships with local and regional stakeholders to address societal challenges. The specific objective of the project is to build the capacities of universities, policymakers and stakeholders in Europe for mainstreaming community engagement in higher education.
The SHEFCE project is a follow-up to the three-year project entitled TEFCE – Towards a European Framework for Community Engagement in Higher Education.
The project started on 1 September 2020 and will last until 31 August 2023.
More information about the project can be found here.
Relevant assessment and pedagogies for inclusive digital education (RAPIDE)
The aim of the RAPIDE project is to co-create, implement and share innovative pedagogies and aligned assessment for relevant and inclusive digital education in order to deal with the COVID-19 induced and similar crises and to support meaningful digital transformation of HEIs.
The project started on 1 March 2021 and will last until 28 February 2023.
More information about the project can be found here.
Towards a European Framework for Community Engagement in Higher Education (TEFCE)
University of Rijeka is a partner in Erasmus+ Key Action 3 Forward Looking Cooperation Project “Towards a European Framework for Community Engagement in Higher Education” (TEFCE).
The specific objective of the TEFCE project is to develop innovative and feasible policy tools at the university and European level for supporting, monitoring and assessing the community engagement of universities.
The project started on 1 January 2018 and will last until 31 October 2021.
More information about the project can be found here.
Supporting Evidence-based Education of Youth Workers (SEEYW)
The University of Rijeka is a partner in Erasmus+ Key Action 205 – Strategic Partnerships for youth project Supporting Evidence-based Education of Youth Workers (SEEYW).
The project is coordinated by Institute for Social Research in Zagreb and partners are University of Ljubljana and University of Rijeka.
Through laying the groundwork for the professionalization of youth work and delivering a set of outputs related to the evidence-based education and training of youth workers, the project will strengthen capacities of youth workers and contribute in the long term to the overall quality of youth work provision in project partner countries (Croatia and Slovenia).
The project started on 1 February 2019 and will last until 31 August 2021.
More information about the project can be found here.
Young Universities For The Future Of Europe (YUFE)
YUFE Alliance brings together different partners from higher education, non-governmental and private sector. It has 8 full partners (the University of Antwerp, University of Bremen, University of Eastern Finland, University Carlos III in Madrid, Maastricht University, University of Cyprus, University of Essex and Tor Vergata University of Rome) and 6 associated partners (The Adecco Group, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, European Entrepreneurs CEA-PME, ETS Global, Kiron and the University of Rijeka). Together, the YUFE partners will establish one of the first true European Universities.
The project started on 1 December 2019 and will last until 30 November 2022.
More information about the project can be found here.
Digital Europe
European Digital Innovation Hub Adriatic Croatia (EDIH)
EDIH Adria will implement artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) in the following sectors: health and quality of life (including health tourism), transport and mobility (with emphasis on the maritime sector), and energy and sustainable development.
The proposed consortium has significant existing competencies, resources, knowledge and capacities for knowledge transfer towards target users.
The project started on 1 January 2023 and will last until 31 December 2025.
More information about the project can be found here.
European Structural and Investment Funds
Strategic Internationalisation of Graduate Studies in Mathematics and Biotechnology – OPTILIFE
The project „Strategic Internationalisation of Graduate Studies in Mathematics and Biotechnology – OPTILIFE” will strengthen the capacity of the University of Rijeka for internationalisation and enhance the quality and relevance of higher education at the University.
The project will enable the development of a new graduate programme of the Department of Biotechnology “Biotechnology for the Life Sciences” and the development of a new module “Optimisation” as part of graduate programme of the Department of Mathematics “Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications”, as well as partial implementation of the above mentioned studies. Both studies will be carried out in the English language and are based on new demands of the labour market.
By enhancing the number of study programmes in the English language and strengthening the competencies of students and staff , the University of Rijeka wishes to stimulate scientific excellence and mobility. With an interdisciplinary approach and a focus on skills required for research, these two studies will provide quality preparation for students wishing to pursue a career in research and will provide a competitive advantage for students when looking for employment opportunities.
The project beneficiary is the University of Rijeka (Department of Mathematics and Department of Biotechnology), while the project partners are Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Rijeka and Login Ltd.
The project started on October 12, 2018 and will last until October 12, 2021. The total value of the project is 1,799,346.08 HRK (approx. 242,000 EUR), with 85 % of funding secured from the European Social Fund and 15 % from the State Budget of the Republic of Croatia.
Student Accommodation Infrastructure at the Rijeka University Campus, Phase I – TRIS
The academic year 2016/2017 will be remembered as a year in which the University of Rijeka redefined the relationship towards its students in a very particular way. During that year, the total capacity of organized student accommodation in the City of Rijeka got more than doubled following the implementation of the project „Student Accommodation Infrastructure at the Rijeka University Campus, Phase I (TRIS)”.
The project encompasses building and furnishing of three student accommodation buildings within the University of Rijeka Campus and construction of the supporting infrastructure, including promenades, roads, necessary installations to communal infrastructure, as well as landscaping. The construction of new student dormitories improved the access to higher education for students with lower socio-economic status, students with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.
It also lowered the costs of studying by reducing the need for housing in private accommodation and increased the availability of modern student accommodation, which lead to the increased level of student standard. Besides all of the above, the project implementation provided high quality conditions for the mobility of students, non-teaching and teaching staff.
The project “Student Accommodation Infrastructure at the Rijeka University Campus, Phase I (TRIS)” was approved within the call for proposals “Modernization, Improvement and Enlargement of the Student Accommodation Infrastructure for Disadvantaged Students”, in the framework of the Operational Program Competitiveness and Cohesion 2014 – 2020. The project implementation, carried out by the University of Rijeka, began on 16 January 2015, and finished on 16 November 2017.
Total eligible project costs amount to 178,629,017.85 Kuna. The European Regional Development Fund contribution amounts to 151,834,665.17 Kuna (85%), while the national contribution is 26,794,352.68 Kuna (15%).
Research Infrastructure for Campus-based Laboratories at the University of Rijeka – RISK
The project “Research Infrastructure for Campus-based Laboratories at the University of Rijeka (RISK)” overall goal was to implement a research and social microenvironment for the promotion of interdisciplinary research work, establishment of interdisciplinary programmes of study, knowledge transfer created through technological innovation and improvement of social practices.
The project focused on achieving full functionality of:
- Centre for High Throughput Technology in Biomedicine,
- Centre for Micro and Nano Sciences and Technologies
- Centre for Advanced Computing and Modelling,
- Faculty of Civil Engineering Laboratories
Selection of purchased equipment can be seen in the catalog.
Project implementation solved two major issues at the University of Rijeka:
Supply of equipment needed for the performance of basic research and education responsibilities and will create the basic infrastructure needed for the participation of the University of Rijeka in international collaborative research projects. It will enable a higher level of research performance in mono-disciplinary research in Biotechnology, ICT, Micro and Nano Sciences and Civil Engineering.
Supply of equipment needed for greater international recognition of established structures as Centres of Excellence in research and technological development and for instrumental convergence of bio, nano and info sciences through the performance of interdisciplinary research projects, i.e. development of the advanced infrastructure required.
The Project enabled the University of Rijeka to boost its potential while developing position as a regional leader in Nano-Bio-Info Convergence and an important actor in applied research in the area of Civil Engineering and thereby significantly contributed towards national education and R&D policies.
Total project value: 23,6m EUR.
Center for Translational Medical Research – TransMedRi
The “Center for Translational Medical Research – TransMedRi” project created all the preconditions for the construction of the Center itself, which included preparation of a feasibility study and preparation of a complete dossier containing all the documentation necessary for the construction and the equipping of the Center including obtaining a building permit.
The total value of the project was 2,877,047.50 HRK. It was co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund in the amount of 2,445,490.38 HRK (85%) while the national contribution was 431,557.13 HRK (15%).
The implementation of the project started on April 18, 2014 and ended on April 18, 2016.
The development of the Center for Translational Medical Research is a logical extension of the strategic actions of the University of Rijeka and the Faculty of Medicine stemming out from the project “Upgrading the capacities for research in translational medicine at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Rijeka” which was funded under the Seventh Framework Program of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities 2007-2013 (FP7).