SVEUCILISTE U SPLITU, PRIRODOSLOVNO-MATEMATICKI FAKULTET

Their core work

The Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at the University of Split is a research-active university unit with a documented specialty in physical oceanography and coastal hazard science. Their most significant H2020 contribution is an ERC Starting Grant for SHExtreme, a six-year project investigating sub-hourly sea level oscillations — particularly meteotsunamis — and their contribution to extreme coastal flooding events under changing climate conditions. Beyond their core oceanographic work, they have participated in health research as a third-party contributor, most likely lending quantitative or statistical expertise to a back and neck pain prognosis project. Their research sits at the intersection of geophysics, climate science, and coastal risk — directly relevant to EU adaptation policy and infrastructure planning.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their earliest H2020 engagement (2018), this faculty appeared as a third party in a health prognosis project, with no topic keywords attached — a sign of a supporting or methodological role rather than subject-matter leadership. By 2020, they had secured a prestigious ERC Starting Grant as coordinator in physical oceanography, with a tightly focused keyword profile around sea level extremes, meteotsunamis, climate change, and flood risk. The trajectory is clear: the faculty's identity in European research is consolidating around coastal geophysics and climate-driven hazard science, with the health involvement likely reflecting individual researcher expertise rather than an institutional strategic direction.

This faculty is deepening into ERC-level excellence in physical oceanography and coastal hazard modelling — a trajectory that points toward future collaborations in climate adaptation, coastal infrastructure resilience, and disaster risk reduction rather than health or general science.

How they like to work

This faculty operates both as a project coordinator (leading the ERC Starting Grant SHExtreme) and as a third-party specialist in externally led projects. The ERC model is inherently PI-driven and research-focused rather than consortium-heavy, so their coordination style is likely small-team and science-led rather than industrial or multi-stakeholder. With 14 unique partners across 9 countries from just 2 projects, their per-project network density is moderate, suggesting meaningful international connections rather than token participation.

The faculty has engaged with 14 unique consortium partners across 9 countries, an above-average network footprint for an institution with only 2 H2020 projects. Their geographic spread is European-wide, consistent with ERC and RIA project consortia that draw from multiple member states.

What sets them apart

This faculty holds a rare distinction for a Croatian HES institution: a competitive ERC Starting Grant, which signals individual research excellence independently assessed by peer review — not just consortium participation. Their location on the Adriatic coast gives them direct environmental relevance to meteotsunami and sea level research in one of Europe's most exposed semi-enclosed sea basins. For a consortium needing credible, ERC-vetted oceanographic expertise with a Mediterranean focus, this group offers something most Croatian partners cannot.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SHExtreme
  Awarded as an ERC Starting Grant — among the most competitive individual research grants in Europe — making it both the faculty's flagship project and a strong signal of internationally recognised scientific excellence in sea level and meteotsunami research.
• Back-UP
  The faculty's only health-sector engagement, as a third party in a personalised prognostic modelling project for musculoskeletal pain, revealing cross-disciplinary quantitative capabilities beyond their oceanographic core.