Croatia is a South-Eastern European country with around 3.8 million inhabitants, strategically located at the crossroads of Central Europe and the Mediterranean. As a member of the European Union, the Schengen Area and the Eurozone, Croatia is fully integrated into the European Research Area (ERA), enabling open scientific cooperation and researcher mobility across Europe.
Introduction of the Croatian research landscape
Croatia maintains a competitive and internationally connected research system aligned with European standards. Its institutions actively engage in Horizon Europe and other EU funding programmes, supported by the national Smart Specialisation Strategy and continued investment in research infrastructure. Universities and research institutes demonstrate particular strength in medicine, engineering, natural sciences, information communication technology (ICT), marine research, and environmental sustainability.
Facts and figures
Research, development and innovation (RDI) in Croatia is conducted in both public and private organisations. According to the official Registry of Scientific Organisations of the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth (February 2026), Croatia has 190 registered scientific institutions, including 12 universities, 66 faculties, 25 public scientific institutes, 9 polytechnics, 32 health institutions, 18 business entities, and several academies, museums and other specialised research bodies – forming the core of the national research and innovation system. The full list of RDI organisations in Croatia is available on the Ministry’s official registry.
strengthen the country's output, the Ministry established Scientific Centres of Excellence as networks of leading researchers and partners from academia, industry and the public sector operating across natural sciences, biomedicine, humanities, social sciences, biotechnical, and other interdisciplinary fields.
Key policy and funding bodies
- Ministry of Science, Education and Youth – Main national authority for research and science policy.
- Croatian Science Foundation (HRZZ) – Principal national competitive funding agency for scientific research, young researchers, project grants, and research mobility.
- Agency for Mobility and EU Programmes (AMEUP) – Promotes and manages EU programmes, including Erasmus+, European Solidarity Corps, and Horizon Europe, while also supporting researcher mobility.
- HAMAG-BICRO (Croatian Agency for SMEs, Innovation and Investments) – Supports innovation activities, technology transfer, and enterprise R&I.
R&I figures at a glance
According to the latest available data from Eurostat, around 44% of Croatia’s active population qualifies as Human Resources in Science and Technology (HRST). The research system employs around 9,300 full-time equivalent (FTE) researchers across all sectors, with women representing nearly half of total research personnel. Data from the MSCA Dashboard (2014-2025) indicate that Croatia hosted around 170 foreign researchers under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (see later), with numbers continuing to grow, reflecting the country’s active participation in European research mobility schemes.
According to national budget data (2024), annual government allocations for R&D exceed EUR 530 million. Statistics from the Croatian Intellectual Property Office indicate approximately 70 patent applications per year, most frequently in chemistry-related fields.
Special features of Croatia's R&D strategy
Competitive national funding
The Croatian Science Foundation (HRZZ) serves as the principal funding body, supporting individual and collaborative research projects, doctoral and postdoctoral development, research mobility, international cooperation, and engagement with the Croatian scientific diaspora.
EU Structural and Cohesion Funds further reinforce national research capacity through investments in modern laboratories, scientific equipment, centres of excellence, science and technology parks, and digital research infrastructure, strengthening Croatia’s capacity to participate in international and interdisciplinary research projects.
Funding tools and opportunities
National and EU competitive programmes
Croatian researchers and institutions actively participate in:
- Thematic EU partnerships under Horizon Europe
- Bilateral funding schemes
Croatia plays an active and growing role by participating in several European Research Infrastructure Consortia (ERICs), providing access to world-class research facilities and unlocking new opportunities for international scientific collaboration.
In addition, institutional and proposal support is provided by the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth for participation in EU programmes in the fields of research, innovation, and space, including:
- Financial support for consortium preparation meetings
- Proposal development workshops
- Complementary funding for high-quality proposals that passed the evaluation threshold but were not funded
Bilateral scholarship programmes
Croatia maintains bilateral scholarship programmes for: students, PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers and scientists, supporting both incoming and outgoing mobility through agreements with countries, including Australia, Japan, Canada, China, USA (Fulbright & Hubert H. Humphrey programmes), Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom.
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Programme (MSCA) funds researcher mobility, doctoral training, and postdoctoral development. It supports researchers of any nationality and at all career stages, promoting international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral mobility. Croatian universities and research institutes actively participate in MSCA projects. As a Widening Country, Croatian MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship applicants have an additional funding opportunity through the ERA Fellowship.
EURAXESS Croatia: practical support for researchers
Croatia’s EURAXESS network is part of a pan-European ecosystem of over 640 organisations in 43 countries, providing mobility, career development, and research support across the European Research Area.
Coordinated by the Agency for Mobility and EU Programmes, EURAXESS Croatia offers free and personalised assistance to researchers relocating to or from Croatia, including support with administrative procedures and integration into academic life. Local support centres, hosted at nine universities and research institutes, provide tailored guidance on visas, work permits, family arrangements, taxation, recognition of qualifications, career opportunities, and access to European funding through the EURAXESS Jobs and Funding Portal.
Reasons to choose Croatia for your research experience
- Access competitive national funding and institutional support
- Full integration in the European Research Area and Horizon Europe
- Modern, EU-backed research infrastructure
- Dynamic international mobility environment
- Excellent quality of life with cost-efficient living