HRVATSKA AKADEMIJA ZNANOSTI I UMJETNOSTI

Their core work

The Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (HAZU) is Croatia's most prestigious learned society, serving as the country's primary institution for humanities, social sciences, and cultural heritage research. Within H2020, HAZU has focused on transnational humanities research — particularly archaeology, archaeogenetics, heritage studies, and the digital transformation of social and cultural research. They act as Croatia's gateway into pan-European humanities networks such as HERA (Humanities in the European Research Area) and CHANSE, connecting Croatian scholarship with broader European research agendas.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

HAZU's early H2020 work (2015-2019) was rooted in traditional humanities — archaeology, archaeogenetics, heritage studies, and uses of the past. Their more recent participation (2021 onward via CHANSE) shows a clear pivot toward digital humanities, examining how digital transformations reshape social and cultural dynamics. This mirrors a broader European trend of humanities institutions positioning themselves at the intersection of cultural research and digital society.

HAZU is moving from traditional heritage and archaeological research toward studying how digital transformation affects culture and society — expect future projects at the humanities-technology intersection.

How they like to work

HAZU operates exclusively as a participant, never as coordinator — consistent with a national academy contributing domain expertise to large European networks rather than managing projects. With 44 unique partners across 28 countries from just 4 projects, they work in very large consortia (typical of ERA-NET co-funded actions). This means they are well-connected across Europe but function as a contributing partner rather than a project driver.

Despite only 4 projects, HAZU has built connections with 44 partners across 28 countries — a remarkably wide network driven by their participation in pan-European ERA-NET programmes that involve many national funding agencies and research bodies.

What sets them apart

HAZU is Croatia's national academy — it carries institutional prestige and represents Croatian humanities scholarship at the European level. For consortium builders, HAZU offers a credible Croatian partner with deep roots in humanities research and established connections through the HERA and CHANSE networks. They are particularly valuable when a project needs humanities and social sciences expertise from Southeast Europe or when geographic diversity across EU member states is important.

Highlights from their portfolio

• MendTheGap
  Largest single grant (EUR 111,889) and the most distinctive topic — combining genetics with archaeological sciences to study Croatia's human past.
• CHANSE
  Most recent and longest-running project (2021-2026), signaling HAZU's strategic shift toward digital humanities and social sciences collaboration across Europe.