On Tuesday, November 10, the University of Dubrovnik presented the EUNICoast R.I.S.E. (Research and Innovation for Societal and Scientific Excellence) project on its campus. It is only the second project Croatia has secured under the European Excellence Initiative. It is also the only Croatian project selected in this call, which had a success rate of just five percent, with 16 out of 284 proposals approved for funding. Worth nearly €5 million and funded by Horizon Europe, it is the project with the highest contracted value in the history of the University of Dubrovnik.

The presentation was part of the project’s kick-off meeting, held at the University of Dubrovnik from November 10 to 12. The project was presented by the Rector of the University of Dubrovnik, Professor Nebojša Stojčić, PhD, and the Vice-Rector for Science and Sustainability, Professor Marijana Pećarević, PhD.

Rector Stojčić noted that the University of Dubrovnik is currently carrying out more than 40 projects with a total value of nearly €52 million, covering all areas of its work.

‘The goal of this project is to connect the University with the local and regional community, specifically with businesses and institutions on the coast and islands. We have designed a range of activities for cooperation with the business sector, from support in developing innovative ideas, prototyping and commercialization to securing funding and training staff. This way, we will help entrepreneurs through the part of the innovation process where they face the greatest difficulties. Science must never be an end in itself. Everything we do must, first and foremost, benefit our local and wider community, and what we achieve in science must also have a concrete application in society,’ the Rector emphasized.

The University of Dubrovnik is the coordinator of the project, which brings together 14 partners: 13 universities of the EUNICoast alliance (University of Dubrovnik, Université Le Havre Normandie, Université des Antilles, Hochschule Stralsund, University of Åland, University of the Faroe Islands, West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin, University of the Balearic Islands, University of the Azores, University of Sassari, University of Patras, Burgas Free University and EMUNI – Euro-Mediterranean University) and PAR University of Applied Sciences from the EU4Dual alliance. The project grew out of the joint work of the EUNICoast universities and responds to the challenges facing European island, coastal and port regions, such as geographic remoteness, smaller institutions and the departure of highly educated professionals.

Vice-Rector Pećarević explained that the consortium brings together island and coastal universities from all of Europe’s seas, from regions where it is difficult to attract and retain young researchers. The project will therefore provide them with better working conditions, and the universities will gain researchers who will cooperate with the community and attract new funding.

‘We are pleased and proud to have been given this opportunity to further strengthen the research capacity of the University of Dubrovnik and the EUNICoast alliance, in cooperation with another European university alliance, EU4Dual. Through the project, we will establish a sustainable model for fostering research excellence and career development, with a particular focus on young researchers, who will have the opportunity to network, train and build their research careers. What is very important is that the project will also strengthen our cooperation with the community, allowing us to shape our research according to its needs and contribute to the sustainable development and well-being of coastal areas and islands,’ she added.

Over its 48-month implementation period, one of the project’s key components will be the five thematic Teaching & Research Hubs established within the alliance, which will grow into permanent Centers of Excellence. Each will have its own governance structure, and together they cover:

• identities, local knowledge and cultural heritage of island and coastal communities;
• the blue circular economy, port logistics and sustainable tourism;
• governance, planning and monitoring of island and coastal communities;
• health, biodiversity protection, nature-based solutions and sustainable use of the sea;
• engineering and data solutions for coastal infrastructure, marine renewable energy, safety and navigation.

As coordinator of the entire project, the University of Dubrovnik will also lead the work package on fostering research excellence, as well as one of the five Centers of Excellence, dedicated to health, biodiversity protection, nature-based solutions and sustainable use of the sea. The University thus takes on a central role in the further development of research excellence within the EUNICoast alliance, and the EUNICoast R.I.S.E. project further confirms its research orientation and strong project activity at the European level.