VELEUCILISTE VELIKA GORICA

Their core work

The University of Applied Sciences Velika Gorica is a Croatian higher education institution that contributes practical, applied expertise to large EU research consortia focused on environmental risk and climate resilience. Their work sits at the intersection of environmental management, digital spatial tools, and community-facing systems — making complex scientific outputs usable in real-world decision-making contexts. In EU-CIRCLE they contributed to a pan-European framework for protecting critical infrastructure against climate-driven disruptions. In SILVANUS they work on an integrated wildfire management platform combining 3D forest modeling, big-data analytics, and citizen engagement tools. As an applied sciences institution rather than a research-intensive university, they bring operational and implementation-oriented knowledge to otherwise highly technical research consortia.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In their first H2020 project (EU-CIRCLE, 2015-2018), the focus was broad and systemic — climate change resilience at the level of critical infrastructure across Europe, a largely policy- and framework-oriented domain. The keyword record from that period is sparse, suggesting a supporting rather than technically defining role. By their second project (SILVANUS, 2021-2025), the focus sharpened considerably: they moved from abstract resilience frameworks to a specific, technology-intensive hazard domain — wildfire management — with concrete tools including 3D forest modeling, big-data platforms, and citizen-facing systems. The trend is a narrowing toward applied environmental risk management with stronger digital and spatial technology components.

This organization is moving toward technology-mediated responses to climate-driven environmental hazards — particularly wildfire — combining spatial data, big-data analytics, and citizen-facing platforms, making them a relevant partner for future projects in disaster risk, smart forestry, or climate adaptation.

How they like to work

They have participated exclusively as a consortium partner across both projects, never taking a coordinating role — suggesting they function as a specialist contributor rather than a project driver. Despite only 2 projects, they have connected with 73 unique partners across 20 countries, which indicates involvement in large, well-networked EU-scale initiatives rather than small bilateral arrangements. This scale also means they are accustomed to operating within complex, multi-stakeholder research environments where their role is defined and bounded.

With 73 unique consortium partners across 20 countries from just 2 projects, this organization has been embedded in large pan-European research networks far beyond what the project count suggests. Their geographic reach covers most of Europe, consistent with the pan-continental scope of EU-CIRCLE and SILVANUS.

What sets them apart

As an applied sciences university — rather than a research-intensive technical institution — Velika Gorica likely contributes implementation know-how, educational translation, and operational grounding that pure research partners often lack. Croatia's geography, with significant wildfire-prone Adriatic and Balkan forest zones, gives them direct regional relevance for environmental hazard projects that few central European partners can match. However, with only 2 recorded EU projects and no coordinator experience, they remain a relatively early-stage EU research partner whose full capabilities are not yet well documented in the H2020 record.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SILVANUS
  Their most technically rich project, combining 3D forest modeling, big-data infrastructure, citizen systems, and wildfire management into a single integrated platform — representing their clearest signal of applied digital-environmental expertise.
• EU-CIRCLE
  A major pan-European critical infrastructure resilience initiative that placed them in a large, high-profile consortium addressing climate adaptation at a systemic, cross-sectoral level.