Source: FER Zagreb
Last week, the project “MARBLE – Center of Excellence in Maritime Robotics and Technologies for a Sustainable Blue Economy” was presented at the Brodarski Institute in Zagreb.
This is a project funded under the European Union’s Widening Programme Horizon Europe (Teaming for Excellence), whose founders and coordinators are the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing(FER), University of Zagreb, Norwegian University of Science and Technology from Norway, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche from Italy, and from Croatia, the Ruđer Bošković Institute, MARINN – Maritime Innovation Cluster, DIH Agrifood Croatia and the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth of the Republic of Croatia.
The total value of the project prof. dr. sc. Radovan Fuchs Nikola Mišković is 30 million euros. The funds are earmarked for the construction and renovation of infrastructure, starting with the Brodarski Institute in Zagreb, as the headquarters to which the project will breathe new life, and pilot locations in Šibenik and Rijeka – a smart mussel farm, a smart marina and a training ground for autonomous vessels.
The official start of the construction and development of the Centre was supported by numerous high-ranking guests from the European Commission, the Government of the Republic of Croatia, the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth of the Republic of Croatia, highlighting the importance of investing in a sustainable blue economy and infrastructural maritime innovation.
“The main purpose of this cooperation is to create new or upgrade existing centres of excellence by merging with leading scientific institutions. There are several key components that will play an important role in their development, which include excellence in research and innovation and of course, funding. You can truly be proud of everything you have achieved so far, sincere congratulations and good luck,” said Federica Roffi, Deputy Head of the Widening Participation Unit of the European Research Executive Agency.
“I am particularly pleased to be here today because for many years I have witnessed the events in Croatian shipbuilding, which has been left without its content in the form of research into ships and maritime technologies. In a world of uncertain global events, Europe needs top-notch technological results that can be implemented in new industrial added values. I am certain that this project, which is a combination of maritime technologies, artificial intelligence and robotics, will achieve very good results, in line with what we in the Republic of Croatia want, but also with what the European Union wants and what its policy is,” said prof. dr. sc. Radovan Fuchs Envoy of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia and Minister of Science, Education and Youth.
“Today we celebrate an important and great success. I congratulate my colleagues who built their competences through the opportunities provided by the European Union and who became champions of spreading excellence with the project we are presenting. We started from the sea, but we continue to operate both in the air and on land. We will never give up in our efforts to make this city the best place to live and for this country to be connected and strong. Together we can transform Croatia into a high-tech country. Let’s not delay, now is the time,” said the prof. dr. sc. Radovan Fuchs Vedran Bilas..
The head of the MARBLE projectVoditelj projekta MARBLE, prof. dr. sc. Radovan Fuchs Nikola Mišković pointed out: “More than 50 experts will work on research within the Center, in the segments of autonomous underwater vehicles, underwater devices that communicate via acoustics, harnessing the energy of the sea and ocean to improve the endurance of autonomous underwater vehicles, and in the field of reconstructing maritime infrastructure and autonomous vessels in the form of simulation models. With this project, we are putting Croatia on the map of excellence in research and innovation.”
The audience was also addressed by Slávka Otčenášová, Policy Officer at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, Sverre Steen, Head of the Marine Technologies Department at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Alessandro Iafrati, Director of the Institute for Marine Engineering at the Italian National Research Council, and dr.sc. Luka KorlaetDeputy Mayor of the City of Zagreb.
The MARBLE project was among only 12 projects out of 115 project proposals in the Teaming for Excellence call to be awarded a European Union grant, as reported by the European Research Executive Agency (REA). The planned duration of the project is six years.
