On Monday, 12 January 2026, in the Grand Hall of the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth in Zagreb, an award ceremony was held for grant agreements under the call “Professionalization of Research Centers”, implemented as part of the Digital, Innovative and Green Technologies – DIGIT project.

On this occasion, a total of 13 grant agreements were awarded, with a total value of 5 million euro, intended for public higher education institutions and public research institutes in the Republic of Croatia. The event represents one of the key milestones in the implementation of the DIGIT project and in the broader process of modernizing the Croatian science and research system.

Unlike traditional calls primarily focused on procuring equipment or constructing infrastructure, the “Professionalization of Research Centers” call is focused on the internal transformation of research organizations. The awarded funds, which range from 60,000 to 350,000 euro 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.

Among others, the ceremony was attended by Prof. Radovan Fuchs, PhD, Minister of Science, Education and Youth, Hrvoje Meštrić, PhD, Director-General of the Directorate for Science and Technology and Coordinator of the DIGIT project, and Todor Milchevski, representative of the World Bank, the key international partner in the design and implementation of the project.

The Minister of Science, Education and Youth, Prof. Radovan Fuchs, PhD, emphasized that this call marks an important step forward in the way scientific research is financed, underlining the importance of stronger links between scientific excellence, the economy and societal needs. He pointed out that the large investments in infrastructure in recent years have created a strong foundation, but that the aim of these projects is to ensure its more efficient use through innovation, technology transfer, and the development of green and digital solutions.

The DIGIT project coordinator, Hrvoje Meštrić, PhD, stressed that this call focuses on people, processes and professional management of research centers, rather than on new equipment or buildings. He highlighted that, during the preparation of the call, challenges were identified in the areas of management, commercialization and cooperation between institutions and economic operators, and that grant beneficiaries are expected to consistently implement the planned activities, in continuous communication with the Ministry and the project team.

The World Bank representative, Todor Milchevski, emphasized that the call represents a complementary approach to strengthening the science and innovation system in Croatia, stressing that the quality of public investment does not depend solely on the amount of funds invested, but on how the infrastructure is managed, how efficiently it is used and how open it is to cooperation with economic operators and the international scientific community.

The DIGIT – Digital, Innovative and Green Technologies project is one of the most important national development initiatives in the field of science, research and innovation in the last decade. It is implemented with the support of the World Bank and aims to strengthen Croatia’s research and innovation capacity through institutional reforms, modernization of management and the promotion of cooperation between the scientific and business sectors.

Grant agreements under this call were received, for the projects of their respective institutions, by Prof. Renata Pecotić, PhD, Dean of the School of Medicine, University of Split; Prof. Tomislav Matić, PhD, Dean of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Information Technology at Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek; David Matthew Smith, PhD, Director General of the Ruđer Bošković Institute; Prof. Verica Dragović‑Uzelac, PhD, Dean of the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb; Prof. Marin Vodanović, PhD, Dean of the School of Dental Medicine, University of Zagreb; Prof. Zdenko Tonković, PhD, Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, University of Zagreb; Prof. Matko Erceg, PhD, Dean of the Faculty of Chemistry and Technology, University of Split; Prof. Vedran Bilas, PhD, Dean of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, University of Zagreb; Assoc. Prof. Marko Šoštarić, PhD, Dean of the Faculty of Transport and Traffic Sciences, University of Zagreb; Prof. Lidija Tepeš Golubić, PhD, Vice‑Dean for Research, Projects and International Cooperation at the Zagreb University of Applied Sciences; and Assoc. Prof. Damir Kovačić, PhD, on behalf of the Faculty of Science, University of Split.

The ceremonial award of grant agreements under the “Professionalization of Research Centers” call represents an important symbolic and operational step in the implementation of the DIGIT project, through which strategic reforms of the Croatian research system are being translated into concrete projects with clear expectations, measurable impacts and a long‑term ambition to strengthen the scientific and innovation competitiveness of the Republic of Croatia.