SVEUCILISTE U RIJECI, MEDICINSKI FAKULTET

Their core work

The Faculty of Medicine at the University of Rijeka is a Croatian medical research institution with expertise spanning immunology, food quality science, and digital health. They conduct research on immune cell biology (particularly intraepithelial lymphocytes and viral infections), contribute to olive oil authenticity and quality assurance, and develop value-based integrated care models for ageing populations. Their work bridges fundamental biomedical research with applied public health and food safety challenges.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early period (2015–2018), MEDRI participated in diverse applied science topics — vaccine design (GLYCOVAX), olive oil fraud detection (OLEUM), and port environmental monitoring (PIXEL) — suggesting opportunistic engagement across EU calls. From 2019 onward, their focus sharpened toward health-oriented research: value-based integrated care for ageing populations (VALUECARE) and fundamental immunology of viral infection at the intestinal barrier (Virus RePro IEL). The recent projects reflect a clearer alignment with their core medical identity.

MEDRI is converging on its medical core — expect future work in personalised medicine, immune-mediated disease, and digital health for ageing, rather than the sector-diverse portfolio of their earlier years.

How they like to work

MEDRI primarily joins consortia as a partner (4 of 6 projects) but has demonstrated coordination capability in two research-excellence projects (GLIOVACC and Virus RePro IEL), both relatively small-scale ERC/MSCA grants. With 69 unique partners across 17 countries, they maintain a broad but not deeply repeated network, indicating openness to new collaborations rather than reliance on a fixed circle. They are comfortable in both large multi-partner consortia and focused two-party research settings.

MEDRI has collaborated with 69 distinct partners across 17 countries, giving them a wide European network for a mid-sized Croatian faculty. Their partnerships span Western and Southern Europe, typical for medical and food-science consortia.

What sets them apart

As a Croatian medical faculty with both coordination experience and broad consortium participation, MEDRI offers a rare combination: deep immunology expertise paired with practical experience in digital health and food safety. For consortium builders, they bring geographic diversity (under-represented EU-13 country) along with genuine research capacity, not just a flag-of-convenience partnership. Their dual ability to lead small focused grants and contribute meaningfully to large RIA/IA projects makes them a flexible partner.

Highlights from their portfolio

• Virus RePro IEL
  Their most recent project and one they coordinate — signals their current strategic direction in mucosal immunology and viral immune response.
• VALUECARE
  Largest single EC contribution (EUR 253,688) and represents their move into digital health and value-based care, connecting medical expertise with ICT.
• GLIOVACC
  Coordinated ERC Proof-of-Concept project on glioblastoma immunotherapy — demonstrates ability to lead translational cancer research.