Croatia - Country Profile

Country Outline

• GDP: 48,990 mil. euros (Eurostat 2017)
• GDP per Capita: 11,800 euros (Eurostat 2017)
• Areas of marked S&T specialisations: Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Transport, Construction and Humanities

Contact Information

• Organisation: Ministry of Science, Education and Sports
• Name / Position: Mr Vedran Mornar / Minister of Science, Education and Sports
• Phone no.: (+38) 5 1 4569 000

Croatia recognizes science as developmental priorities that can enable its long-term social stability, economic prosperity and secure cultural identity. The quality of science and technology in Croatia is monitored by the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports, the National Science Council and the National Council for higher Education. There are five types of institutions which carry out the scientific and research activities in Croatia:

1. Public institutes

2. Institutions of higher education

3. Other research legal entities

4 Independent commercial institutes

5. Corporate industrial institutes

(Source: http://ec.europa.eu/invest-in-research/pdf/download_en/psi_countryprofile_croatia.pdf)

1. Policies and Strategies in Science, Technology and Innovation

Since 2000 Croatia has been in the process of reforming the organisation of research, science and innovation in the country. In particular since the accession negotiations on the research and science were opened and then provisionally closed in October 2006 Croatia has been engaging in reforms in line with the EU actions and targets established under the EU policy for R&I (participation in EU research programmes, European Research Area, and the Innovation Union). Despite the efforts taken, R&I capacity is still weak and requires many more actions if it is to become a real driver for economic growth and competitiveness.

Since the new government took office in 2011 several actions and strategies have been announced but only a few have been adopted. Thus it is difficult to assess the reforms undertaken and whether or not the expected impact is being achieved. The amendments to the Act on the Croatian Science Foundation and the Act on Science and Higher Education marked the beginning of a series of announced reforms. The Acts bring changes in the financing and governance system of public research activities aimed at increasing the efficiency of the R&D system. The Croatian Qualifications Framework Act, adopted in the beginning of 2013, also constitutes an important step in improving scientists’ qualifications.

The first reform relates to the new model of financing scientific activities introducing performance-based funding based on multi-annual research programmes established at the level of research institutes and universities and the level of funding based on performance indicators for the first time. Besides performance funding, the funding of research projects/grants continues but is based on stricter peer-review criteria which should result in the funding of a smaller number of high-quality projects (about 800 compared to 2500 projects per year previously). In terms of governance project funding is shifted from the MSES to the Croatian Science Foundation which will act as an independent body applying a rigid evaluation process.

On the 20th of December 2012 the government adopted an Action Plan on Science and Society aiming at a more systematic approach to science as a social value, promoting and rebalancing gender and ensuring good communication about science with the citizens. The announced Strategies for Education, Science and Technology and for Innovation are to be adopted by the summer of 2014. As both strategies propose actions to valorize the results of research efforts which, as explained above is Croatia’s major weakness, those are the improvements that should be made and implemented as a matter of priority. For example it is well known that the research infrastructure in Croatia is outdated and that state-of-the-art equipment is lacking. In this context, in April 2014, the adoption of a Roadmap on Infrastructures according to the European Strategic Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) will be welcomed. Finally the biggest change will come from the fact that since the 1st of July 2013 Croatia has become a Member State. This gives full access to the Structural Funds but will also step up monitoring by the EC of the announced reforms, notably through preparation of the National Reform Programme on all policies, including R&I, to strengthen its competitiveness. (Research and Innovation performance in Croatia, Country Profile 2014, DG R&I, European Commission).

(Source: http://ec.europa.eu/research/innovation-union/pdf/state-of-the-union/2014/iuc_progress_report_2014.pdf#view=fit&pagemode=none)

Key Research Organisations and Companies