EU Cohesion policy: €61 million to support research and innovation for innovative applications in economy and society in Croatia

Today, the European Commission has approved an investment of more than €61 million from the European Regional Development Fund to modernise and expand the Ruđer Bošković Institute (RBI) in Zagreb, Croatia, to increase its scientific research capacity with the project ‘Open Scientific Infrastructural Platforms for Innovative Applications in Economy and Society’ (O-ZIP). Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, said: “Thanks to this EU project, the institute will become more competitive and will increase its collaboration with local and international research partners and business stakeholders. Given the global challenges we face, it is essential to invest in European research institutes and projects to solve societal problems in sectors like health, food and the environment.” The institute’s improved capacity and working environment will help train a new generation of students in multidisciplinary scientific fields with the additional aim to motivate the current generation of scientists to stay in Croatia, contributing to the country’s economic development and innovation. Better links with business and industry will ensure that the institute’s research meets real societal problems in areas such as the environment, climate change, energy, health and ageing. The O-ZIP project will help the country implement its Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3) and projects under the EU Research and Innovation programme (Horizon 2020) priorities. More on EU funded investments in Croatia is available on the Open Data Platform.