Partners

Located in the Croatian capital Zagreb, Ruđer Bošković Institute (RBI) is the largest Croatian scientific research institution of a multidisciplinary character. RBI is organised in 11 divisions and 3 centres gathering a scientific staff of more than 550 researchers and scientists. Since establishment in 1950, its pursuing mission is excellent scientific research in the natural, biomedical and engineering sciences, with contributions to higher education and cooperation with the business sector based on outstanding scientific research. The Institute is currently engaged in over 200 projects, for which over half of the total funding is from European Union projects and other international sources. The Institute also has capital scientific research equipment valued at over 100 million HRK.

Center for Marine Research (CMR) is the only division located outside Zagreb, at the Istrian peninsula, at the north- eastern coast of the Adriatic. Established in 1891, today a part of the Rudjer Bošković Institute, CMR is one of the leading national and regional scientific organisations focused upon basic and applied oceanological research, especially responding to local community and government needs (monitoring activities, ecological studies, implementations of MSFD and WFD…), with significant involvement in international projects especially with the neighbouring Adriatic states. Coastal location of the CMR facilitates pursuing its mission, a multidisciplinary study of the marine ecosystem of the northern Adriatic, from subcellular to regional scale. 

CMR has a long tradition of research that focuses mainly on field studies in marine ecology and biodiversity, water mass dynamics, an/organic matter cycling and sedimentation, eutrophication and long-term changes of the northern Adriatic ecosystem due both to climatic fluctuations and anthropogenic influences. CMR comprises also laboratory and field research in marine fields of radioecology, molecular biology and genotoxicology, ecophysiology and ecotoxicology. Research that is more recent includes up-to-date topics such as nanoparticles impacts on marine ecosystem and marine litter, as well as basic oceanological topic of phytoplankton that delivers prominent results with recently established laboratory cultures and molecular techniques of next generation sequencing. 

Nowadays, CMR participates in several Interreg Italy–Croatia projects (AdriaClim, CASCADE and MARLESS) and one Horizon 2020 (JERICO-S3), coordinates several projects financed by the Croatian Science Foundation (EcoRENA, MICRO-SEAGRASS, NANOemc2, HabCYS) and participates in few more.  

Project coordinator at IRB, dr.sc. Romina Kraus is also the Principal investigator at the project ProtectAS. Based on the scientific expertise of all project participants, the project is designed to continue and complement the results of the BALMAS project during the three years of the project. The BALMAS project included most of the partners gathered on the ProtectAS project. However, whereas the BALMAS focused on wider aspect of Adriatic protection from the harmful impacts of ballast waters, the ProtectAS project is aimed at the development of system for protection of Croatian ships’ ports acknowledging the geographical and oceanological specifics, human resources, and legislation of the Republic of Croatia. As part of the project, researchers and scientists from CIM will participate in field research in the ports of Rijeka, and the Gulfs of Rijeka and Kvarner, and conduct analyses of phytoplankton community and dinoflagellate cysts. Together with other partners, using all the results from the project, they will participate in the development of a plan of measures to supress and reduce the harmful consequences of the introduction of foreign and other harmful species introduced by ship’s ballast waters.

Project Participants:

• dr.sc. Romina Kraus
• dr.sc. Daniela Marić Pfannkuchen
• dr.sc. Ana Baričević
• Denis Škalic univ. bacc. mariscient
• Alin Brajković mag.oecol. et prot.nat.

The Faculty of Civil Engineering of the University of Zagreb is the oldest civil engineering faculty in Croatia. It offers university education at an undergraduate (>750), graduate (>400) and postgraduate (>50 students) levels in all branches of civil engineering. It continually develops and advances higher education, scientific research activities and overall education, and actively participates in the development of the profession and in implementation of new technologies. It has a valid ASIIN international accreditation and, furthermore, it has an extensive experience in the work on research, educational and networking projects such are HORIZON 2020, FP7, FP6, TEMPUS, COST, EUREKA, LIFE, LLP, CIP ECO INNOVATION, CIP-IEE-INTELIGENT ENERGY EUROPE, ERASMUS + and ERASMUS MUNDUS.

The Faculty of Civil Engineering of the University of Zagreb is collaborating institution for the project “Development of system for control and protection of ports from introduction of alien species – ProtectAS“, in which it implements the measurements of sea currents in ports of Ploče and Rijeka and the integration of the sea currents numerical model in both ports.

Project participants: 

• dr.sc. Dalibor Carević
• dr.sc. Goran Lončar
• Tin Kulić mag.ing.aedif.

Teaching Institute of Public Health of Primorsko-Goranska County (TIPH PGC) is a health institution which conducts public health activities in the area of Primorsko-Goranska County (PGC). It has a continuous one hundred years of tradition of its existence and work as it is the successor of the State Royal Station for Chemical Tests, established on 8 April 1900. Today it represents an expert, but also teaching preventative public health institution, which is turning into a university scientific regional institute with the goal of providing a higher level of public health care for the wider region, which besides PGC includes the neighbouring counties. TIPH PGC is managed by the PGC and it represents one of the four leading Institutes of Public Health (besides Zagreb, Split and Osijek) in Croatia. It operates independently on the level of the County with the professional coordination by the Croatian Institute of Public Health. The Institute has an integrated quality system which includes: (HRN/EN) ISO/IEC 17025:2007, ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004 and ISO 15189:2012.

Public health activities include epidemiological measures of control and intervention, supervision and analysis of infectious and non-infectious diseases, microbiological activities, analysis of scientific indicators and work in the health department, control over the health safety of foodstuffs, water and general use objects, continuous air quality monitoring, preventative and specific measures for health protection of school children and students, and primary prevention and out-patient treatment of addiction illnesses.

TIPH PGC consists of the following organizational departments: Department of Social Medicine, Health-Environmental Department, Microbiological Department, Epidemiological Department, Department for the Protection of Mental Health, Prevention and Out-Patient Treatment of Addiction Illnesses, Quality Department, Department of School and University Medicine, Department for Economic Affairs, Department for Legal, Human Resources and General Affairs, Department for Controlling and Revision, 7 branch offices – Crikvenica, Delnice, Krk, Opatija, Mali Lošinj, Rab and Cres, as well as 3 Centres for Public Health – Kostrena, Viškovo and Matulji. According to the model of similar European institutions, today TIPH PGC carries the title teaching, as it represents the centre for preventative public-health education on a scientific and professional level. The education is conducted by the same expert employees, who operatively carry out the preventative activities and handle data for the needs of scientific and professional studies and projects in primary health care or public health. Currently, the TIPH PGC participates in 5 projects funded by the European Union. In one project it is the project leader while in the other four it is a project partner. These are INTERREG ITA-CRO projects and projects from the ESF. 

TIPH PGC participates in the implementation of the Project as a partner whose activities are focused on the research of pathogens in the water column in seaports, potentially introduced into the ports during the discharge of ballast water from ship tanks. Examination of pathogens as a cause of disease and disorders in humans through seafood, and using recreational waters is an important part of the research planned by this Project. Project analyses will provide insight into the presence of harmful species in the study area. The composition and quantity of certain microbiological indicators and pathogens in the Ports of Rijeka and Ploče will be examined, seasonally, over a one-year period, and their possible impact on the surrounding beaches will be assessed. The tests include the following indicators: Total Bacteria Count (TBC), coliform bacteria, Escherichia coli species, enterococci, Vibrio cholerae O1 and O139, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aeureus, Clostridium perfringens, Salmonella spp., Shigella spp., Legionella spp. The presence of Vibrio cholera bacteria has already been recorded in ballast tanks. Therefore, the determination of this species is prescribed by the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments. Obtained data, together with other studied indicators, will be used for development of the measurement plan to combat and reduce the harmful consequences of the introduction of foreign and other harmful species into ships’ ballast waters.

Project participants:

• doc.dr.sc. Darija Vukić Lušić dipl. sanit. ing.
• mr.sc. Arijana Cenov dipl. ing.
• dr.sc. Marin Glad dipl.ing.

University of Rijeka, Faculty of Maritime Studies (PFRI) is the most important institution of higher education of maritime activities in Croatia. 

Main goals and tasks are the establishment of studies and the introduction of appropriate study programs at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate level of education as well as the conduct of scientific and research activities in the multidisciplinary domain of maritime affairs.

PFRIs’ mission is continuous improvement of the quality, efficiency and openness of higher education with the aim of creating highly educated experts and scientists, as well as the advancement of scientific and research activities in the field of maritime affairs and transport.

PFRIs’ vision is to remain a state-of-the-art scientific and educational institution in the field of maritime affairs and transport, holding a recognizable image at national and international level, by the implementation of lifelong learning-oriented education and the strengthening of scientific research and professional potential in line with the needs of the economy and the social community.

Faculty’s strategic objectives are defined according to certain areas:

1. Education
• It promotes efficient and quality education
• It takes care of employability of students based on learning outcomes
• It systematically develops lifelong learning programs
2. Science and Research

• It is a research institute with a high level of scientific, research and innovative activities
• It encourages the circle of researchers
• It is working on the promotion and popularization of scientific activity

1. Organization
• It is a driver of economic development and a relevant partner and subject
• It is a factor in transitioning the region into a knowledge-based society
• It participates in the preservation of maritime heritage
2.  Public function
• It effectively and transparently establishes instruments for the development of each individual
• It has the highest level of quality, organization and responsibility through strategic management in all organizational units
• It is a flexible and dynamic faculty that strives for market business and financial sustainability

PFRI is included in the following eligibility criteria of Lot 1: Sector Skills Alliances:

• Training or education provider at local, regional or national level
• Sector-based research institutes
• Public authorities responsible for education and training at regional or national level

Consists of different organizational units, which amount to 5 departments, 3 divisions, 2 centres, 7 administration offices and a higher education library.  PFRI has 5 undergraduate degree programmes, 5 graduate degree programmes and doctoral degree programme which is realised through 7 study courses, in which are around 2000 students enrolled in. PFRI has a lot of experience, skills and competences in the field of implementing knowledge in curriculum.  More than 20 projects are currently ongoing at the PFRI, being financed from the programmes Interreg, Eramsus, from the Croatian Science Foundation and other funds. Also PFRI is partner on “Development of system for control and protection of ports from introduction of alien species – ProtectAS“ 

Project participants:

• izv.prof.dr.sc. Renato Ivče
• izv.prof.dr.sc. Đani Mohović
• mag.ing.pp.naut. Antoni Krišković