Croatia Attracts EU Funds, Boosts Research

At Zagreb’s Institute of Physics, scientist Iva Srut Rakic researches the properties of grapheme – an extremely thin sheet of pure carbon that can be used for the production of electronics.

“It has this really beautiful property.  It’s really conductive, it’s flexible, it’s transparent, and it can be used in so many applications,” says Rakic, whose research and the high-tech equipment involved are part of Croatia’s Science and Technology project.

The World Bank-supported project assists selected public sector institutions in designing proposals and implementing programs funded by the EU, which Croatia joined in 2013.

Through its research and development financing, the science and technology project stimulates demand for EU funds from the business and scientific communities, particularly from SMEs, high-performing scientists, and young researchers.

“The project fosters the collaboration with scientific diaspora in order to raise the quality of scientific research in Croatia, to contribute to the creation of new values in the Croatian economy and to raise the scientific infrastructure in Croatia.” says Alessia Pozzi of the Unity through Knowledge Fund, a program to support cooperation between local researchers and the scientific diaspora.

In addition to promoting research excellence and integration into the European Research Area, the project provides grants and loans to early stage research and development activities.

Funding under the project for construction of a state-of-the-art laboratory in Zagreb means that local and international companies will soon have everything they need in Croatia to conduct scientific research and innovate.

“Without such kind of infrastructure and financing of start-ups, there will be no new entities which will develop products in this very promising tech revolution, and there will be no economic impact without such kind of companies which eventually will grow in Croatia like in other countries,” says Ivo Friganovic of BICRO, an innovation agency receiving funding under the project.