Croatian Educational Institutions Transforming from Passive Observers to Active Participants in the Knowledge Market

Although Croatian universities, according to occasional research, are far from the top list of the most successful in the world, some domestic faculties are at the global forefront in terms of products arising from the educational-scientific process.

These products have global value and commercial potential, prompting universities to establish companies to facilitate their commercialization. The University of Rijeka, for example, has established the Science and Technology Park STeP Ri to commercialize the results of scientific work. Recently established centers of excellence will help Croatian higher education institutions keep pace with the demands of the global economy. So far, the Medical Faculty in Zagreb is the only Croatian educational institution that has two: the Scientific Center of Excellence for Reproductive and Regenerative Medicine and the Scientific Center of Excellence for Fundamental, Clinical, and Translational Neuroscience.

Commercialization of Science

While others are preparing to enter the global market, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing (FER) in Zagreb has already conquered it. “Everything we do has the potential for success in the global market. Science is not an end in itself because everything we do can be applied in the real world,” says Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gordan Gledec, Vice Dean for Science.

In 2014, FER sold a software license for the design and mathematical optimization of cage asynchronous motors to the American United Technologies Research Center. The fastest lateral silicon bipolar transistor in the world, which is currently in development, was invented at this faculty and is being integrated into a commercial process in collaboration with a company from Japan.

“This transistor has brought us seven approved international patents, two domestic patents, and six patents currently under evaluation,” says Prof. Dr. Gledec.

The faculty also collaborates with Électricité de France (EdF), the largest electric utility in the world, for which it developed projects on lightning detection systems, calculations of electromagnetic transients using the EMTP-RV program, and the compacting of high-voltage power lines. It exports knowledge by collaborating with ON Semiconductor, one of the largest electronic companies in the world.

“Our researchers have submitted a joint patent application with ON Semiconductor, which is currently under evaluation. We have acted as partners in proposing European Union projects and projects funded by the Flemish Science Foundation (IWT), receiving one FP6 project and two IWT projects, while one project with FER was directly funded by ON Semiconductor,” says Prof. Dr. Gledec.

FER’s Information Support Center for partners from Estonia is developing a national e-learning portal for all higher education institutions and vocational schools. Since 2002, it has also collaborated with Swedish Visage Technologies AB in facial analysis using computer vision techniques, contributing to the development of that company’s products. The partner of FER’s research group on the project ‘Automatic Analysis of Personal Photographs for Identification Documents’ was Siemens PSE from Graz. With Philips Healthcare from the Netherlands, FER worked on the project ‘Monitoring the Movement of Intravascular Catheters Using a C-Arm X-ray Device,’ and recently has several projects funded by the U.S. Office of Naval Research Global and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, as well as projects from NATO’s ‘Science for Peace and Security’ program.

Market Potential

The University of Split, according to Prof. Dr. Branko Matulić, Vice Dean for Quality, Culture, and Arts, is developing two interrelated projects, post-academic (self)employment and a network of teaching bases.

“We are convinced that they have great commercial potential because they are completely innovative and applicable in other environments and educational systems,” says Prof. Dr. Matulić.

In the teaching base network project, companies, institutions, and others are given the opportunity to become an integral part of the University through a cooperation agreement, i.e., contractual companies as partners. The University of Split has signed agreements with about fifty teaching bases, including the Split National Theatre.
From all this, it can be concluded that Croatian educational institutions are currently in a transition that transforms them from passive observers into active participants in the knowledge market.