SVEUCILISTE U RIJECI

Their core work

The University of Rijeka is a Croatian public university that combines research in social sciences, humanities, and cultural heritage with growing capabilities in open science and research policy. Their H2020 portfolio centers on gender equality in academia, cultural heritage preservation and its socio-economic impact, and training early-career researchers in open science practices. They also contribute to European HPC competence building and fusion energy research through third-party roles, reflecting a broad but humanities-anchored institutional profile.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their early H2020 period (2014–2019), UNIRI focused on science popularization, public engagement (European Researchers' Night featuring Croatian scientific heritage like Tesla and Bošković), and launching gender equality work in academia. From 2019 onward, their focus shifted decisively toward open science, cultural heritage measurement, and European university alliance building through YUFE. The trend shows a university moving from science communication and internal institutional reform toward shaping European research policy and open science infrastructure.

UNIRI is positioning itself as a regional hub for open science training and R&I policy within the YUFE European University alliance, making them increasingly relevant for projects requiring Widening Country participation with genuine research policy expertise.

How they like to work

UNIRI overwhelmingly participates as a partner or participant (5 of 9 projects), with only one coordination role (HERItage) and three third-party contributions. Their 337 unique consortium partners across 34 countries suggest they join large, pan-European consortia rather than leading small teams. This makes them a reliable consortium member who brings Croatian and Western Balkan regional perspective without demanding leadership overhead.

With 337 unique partners across 34 countries, UNIRI has an exceptionally broad network relative to its modest project count — a result of joining large CSA-type consortia. Their geographic reach spans most of Europe, with particular relevance as a Croatian entry point for projects needing EU-13 Widening Country representation.

What sets them apart

UNIRI stands out as a Croatian university with genuine expertise at the intersection of cultural heritage, social sciences, and open science policy — not just a Widening Country partner filling a geographic checkbox. Their coordination of HERItage and Rijeka's status as European Capital of Culture 2020 give them real-world credibility in cultural impact assessment. For consortium builders, they offer an active YUFE alliance member with SSH expertise and strong connections across 34 countries.

Highlights from their portfolio

• HERItage
  Their only coordinated project (EUR 249K), studying cultural heritage's role in democratic values — directly tied to Rijeka's European Capital of Culture 2020 designation.
• SPEAR
  Their largest funded participation (EUR 324K), implementing gender equality plans across research institutions — shows institutional commitment to structural reform.
• YUFERING
  Part of the YUFE European University alliance's knowledge transfer initiative, signaling UNIRI's strategic integration into a major European university network.