The Ministry of Science, Education, and Youth and the Innovation Centre Nikola Tesla (ICENT) at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing (FER) have signed an agreement for the financing of developing the Croatian startup ecosystem, with a total value of 1,1 million euros. This agreement was signed as part of the Digital, Innovative, and Green Technologies (DIGIT) project, a strategic initiative of the Ministry supported by the World Bank, with the goal of improving Croatia’s research and innovation system and strengthening its role in the digital and green transition.

The DIGIT project, with a total value of 106 million euros, is focused on promoting technology transfer, creating a deep-tech startup ecosystem, and transforming the research and innovation system. The project aims to improve research excellence in the long term and increase economic productivity through the commercialization of innovations.

As a central activity, ICENT will intensively work on the development and promotion of deep-tech startups through its research entrepreneurship program, Nuqleus. The program has already achieved significant results, with 16 spin-off companies emerging from Nuqleus, raising over 1,8 million euros for business growth and development. With the support of the DIGIT project, ICENT plans to significantly expand its activities by providing structured education, mentoring, and collaboration with industry.

“Through the DIGIT project, we are ensuring support for key processes of Croatia’s digital and green transition, strengthening innovation capacity, and creating opportunities to bridge the ‘valley of death’ between scientific research and its market application,” emphasized Hrvoje Meštrić, Director of the Science and Technology Directorate at the Ministry of Science, Education, and Youth.

The two-year program will provide researchers and students with education, mentorship, and support necessary for the successful commercialization of their ideas, thereby laying strong foundations for the sustainable growth of Croatia’s innovation ecosystem.