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 Centre for EU projects.
The Centre started operating back in 2002 when it 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 Centre is 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 2020
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.
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.
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.
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.
More information about the conference can be found here.
Erasmus +
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.
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).
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.
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 preparati on 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 unti l 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).