CEEPUS

CEEPUS (Central European Exchange Program for University Studies) is a regional mobility program in higher education. The aim of CEEPUS is to improve cooperation in the field of higher education and related scientific activities, with an emphasis on inter-university cooperation and mobility. It became operational on 1st December 1994, when the 1993 CEEPUS agreement entered into force in Budapest. Croatia joined the CEEPUS agreement in 1995 and along with Croatia, the following countries traditionally participate in the program: Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia and Kosovo. The current CEEPUS III contract is currently in force, starting on 1st May 2011 for a period of seven years.

The network consists of one coordinator and at least two partners from at least two CEEPUS signatory countries. Coordinators and partners can be universities, polytechnics and colleges or their components (faculties / departments / divisions / chairs) that are on the list of eligible institutions for participation in CEEPUS in each country. Each year, CEEPUS signatory countries set a quota of available scholarships for incoming mobility in the „one month scholarship“ currency. The signatories also determine the amounts of scholarships for different categories of scholarship holders (students, doctoral students and teaching staff) as well as other conditions of residence of CEEPUS scholarship holders (free or subsidized accommodation, meals, health insurance etc.).

At the request of the CEEPUS Central Office the ministries responsible for education submit a statement on the number of months of scholarships to be provided in the next academic year, so-called pledges, signed by the competent ministers and approved by the Joint Committee of Ministers. Scholarships depend on the standard of living in each country and must be sufficient to cover the costs of mobility. Students are also exempt from paying tuition. Information on scholarships in each country participating in CEEPUS is available at www.ceepus.info by clicking on the flag of each country.

Detailed information on CEEPUS mobility, how to apply and other conditions can be found at the following link.

• New procedure for reimbursement of travel expenses (effective from June 12, 2018 – in Croatian)

The CEEPUS III Agreement defines the following categories of beneficiaries of the CEEPUS program:

1. Students enrolled in higher education are potential candidates for CEEPUS III scholarships (full-time student status with at least two semesters of study completed), including a doctoral level provided that the period of study, training or traineeship is spent at the host university or host institution in accordance with CEEPUS Agreement, and is in line with the curriculum of the home university and fits into the study program of the candidate.
2. Scholarships are also awarded to students for practical training and traineeships in companies, research institutes, government bodies or other organizations in the host country, if the candidate proposes a comprehensive plan.
3. The CEEPUS III program supports the mobility of university staff (teaching, research and/or artistic staff) in higher education institutions by awarding CEEPUS III scholarships in order to promote transnational inter-university cooperation and to increase the Central European dimension of university curricula.
4. Scholarships may also be awarded to students and university staff outside the CEEPUS III network (so-called freemovers), provided that special arrangements are made for studying or teaching and supervising.

Building Knowledge and Experience Exchange in CFD (RS-1012-10-2425)
A list of institutions networked with the Faculty of Civil Engineering can be found at the following link. The goal of mobility activities within this network is to establish contacts among researchers working in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), to exchange information, knowledge, and experience in the field of CFD, to participate in joint research projects and other activities such as the preparation of master’s and doctoral theses in the field of CFD. In cooperation with network partners, lectures, seminars, and summer schools/courses are organized, as well as scientific conferences and workshops. Both incoming and outgoing mobilities are planned within the network for undergraduate, graduate, doctoral students, and academic staff. The emphasis is on the development and implementation of CFD numerical models in the broader field of Civil Engineering through the academic community. Another goal is to exchange experiences regarding the use of different solutions for specific complex problems within CFD and to share experiences in the use of commercial software. The local coordinator for this CEEPUS network at the Faculty of Civil Engineering in Rijeka is Assist. Prof. Dr. Elvis Žic.

Research and Education of Environmental Risks (HR-1302-07-2425)
The Faculty of Civil Engineering in Rijeka is a partner in the CEEPUS network titled “Research and Education of Environmental Risks” (HR-1302-07-2425), led by Prof. Dr. Marijana Hadzima-Nyarko from the Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture in Osijek. The local coordinator for this CEEPUS network at the Faculty of Civil Engineering in Rijeka is Assist. Prof. Dr. Elvis Žic. The list of institutions (currently 23) networked with the Faculty of Civil Engineering can be found at the following link.

Brief description of the network:
The frequent occurrence of natural disasters (droughts, floods, landslides, earthquakes) has become one of the most important global issues and factors affecting the further sustainable development of human civilization and a constant threat to the community and the environment as a whole. The aim of this network is to educate students in the application of methods and current knowledge about natural hazards and risk assessment by integrating research and practical application to real structures or objects. Students must be familiar with various modern analysis methods, know how to design structures resistant to such accidental actions, predict and monitor incidents (modeling, simulation, GIS technology, etc.), and participate in cross-border collaboration among experts gathered around the same issues to improve their future career opportunities. Through the CEEPUS network, the Faculty of Civil Engineering in Rijeka can establish cooperation via outgoing and incoming mobilities (research in laboratories, writing publications, mentoring of undergraduate/graduate/doctoral theses, organizing summer and winter schools, education, short excursions, etc.).

“Green” Buildings as Solutions to Achieve Sustainable Environmental Goals (PL-0000-00-2425)
The Faculty of Civil Engineering in Rijeka is a partner in the CEEPUS network called “Green” Buildings as Solutions to Achieve Sustainable Environmental Goals (PL-0000-00-2425), led by Prof. Agnieszka Steć from the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering and Architecture at the Rzeszow University of Technology (Poland). Professor Steć has formed a new CEEPUS network with currently 21 renowned institutions/faculties. The local coordinator for this network is Assoc. Prof. Dr. Goran Volf (or Assist. Prof. Dr. Elvis Žic, if needed).

Brief description of the network:
The network covers broadly understood sustainable construction (eco-friendly buildings, alternative installation systems, renewable energy sources, etc.). Besides the areas of interest mentioned above, the CEEPUS network will also focus on the following activities: Wastewater engineering, Environment, Environmental impact assessment, Environmental analysis, Hydraulic engineering, Water resources management, Environmental protection, Hydrological modeling, Water resources engineering, and Water quality.

The EU Agency for Mobility and Programs is introducing new procedures following the Emergency Technical Decision of the CEEPUS Secretary General of 30th September 2020 and the Opinion of the Ministry of Science and Education on online mobility in the CEEPUS system from 1st October 2020. You can view the official notice on the introduction of new procedures via the link.

Unfortunately, other countries participating in CEEPUS are not yet able to pay financial support for incoming virtual mobility, despite the fact that the National Offices in principle support the idea of paying part of the scholarship for virtual mobility. The national offices for CEEPUS are doing everything in their power to change their procedures at the national level in order to facilitate the continuation of cooperation in CEEPUS. However, measures vary from country to country, depending on national regulations (eg some countries may not even recognize virtual mobility).

According to the new procedure, incoming professors no longer need to attach signature lists from lectures. The usual form of signature sheets that was part of the information package has been replaced by a simpler „Teacher report“ form which can be viewed at the following link.

For the winter semester, applications via the CEEPUS online system are enabled from the moment the network cycle ends, ie when all approved networks and „umbrella networks“ are in the „ready for mobility“ status and last until approximately 15th June. According to the general recommendations of the CEEPUS Central Office, this deadline is only open for network mobility, but some countries also allow applications for freelancers, as they know from experience that each year a certain part of the quota remains unused and therefore available for offline mobility.

The application deadline for the summer semester of the current academic year is 31th October. As mentioned above, it is generally recommended that only two application deadlines for network mobility be followed by a deadline for applying for mobility outside the network. The deadline for mobility outside the CEEPUS network is 30th November, but applications for freelancers in the CEEPUS system are already available in June.

The online application is preceded by a selection procedure at the home Faculty according to the announced competition, before the stated deadlines.

Students and academic staff of the Faculty of Civil Engineering in Rijeka are hereby informed that applications are open until June 1, 2025, for winter mobility (which also includes mobility during the summer semester, although this will formally be conducted until November 1, 2025) within the framework of the CEEPUS networks. The Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Rijeka, participates as a partner in four CEEPUS networks: “Building Knowledge and Experience Exchange in CFD”, “Research and Education of Environmental Risks”, “Green Buildings as Solutions to Achieve Sustainable Environmental Goals”, and “Advancing Sustainable Environmental, Health and Safety Practices for Green Job Readiness (SustainForce Alliance)”. Instructions for applying for CEEPUS mobility can be found via the provided link.

All interested students, doctoral candidates, postdoctoral researchers, and academic staff who plan to undertake outgoing CEEPUS mobility at any of the foreign institutions (within the mentioned networks) in the winter and summer semesters are invited to submit their online applications as soon as possible via the CEEPUS website (https://www.ceepus.info).

Starting from the new 2025/2026 academic year, non-teaching staff applications (“Short-Term University Staff”) and applications for coordination meetings (“Short-Term Network Meetings”) are being introduced. These will only be approved if planned within the mobility plan. For mobilities of non-teaching staff foreseen by the mobility plan, there is an additional rule allowing at most one incoming mobility per academic year per CEEPUS network. This is a new type of mobility intended for non-teaching staff involved in organizing CEEPUS mobilities at their home institutions, and its main purpose—apart from getting to know partner institutions—is primarily learning through job shadowing. Applicants must include a day-by-day activity plan in their application. The second type of mobility is “Network Meetings”, i.e., the possibility of organizing coordination meetings lasting from 1 to 3 days. Coordinators from at least 50% of partner institutions must participate in these meetings; otherwise, the meeting is not eligible. Also, at least one person from each institution may participate in a meeting per year.

Detailed information about the CEEPUS networks, the list of institutions networked with the Faculty of Civil Engineering Rijeka, opportunities and application procedures, and scholarship information can be found on the Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Rijeka website under the “CEEPUS” section. For further information and questions, please contact the local coordinators, Assist. Prof. Dr. Elvis Žic and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Goran Volf.

As part of the CEEPUS network entitled „Building Knowledge and Experience Exchange in CFD (CIII-RS-1012-04-1819)“ the Faculty of Technical Sciences in Novi Sad (as the coordinator of the entire network) organizes in early July 2019 a summer school called „The 3rd Summer School of Computational Fluid Dynamics„.

The 5-day summer school is an ideal opportunity for students to get acquainted with new possibilities and software packages within Computational Fluid Dynamics and at the same time exchange their study experiences with colleagues from related fields of science. All costs of accommodation (accommodation and food) in Novi Sad are covered by the National CEEPUS Office in Serbia, while travel costs (return bus ticket) are covered by the National CEEPUS Office in Croatia. Therefore, all interested students who want to actively participate in the summer school are asked to contact the local CEEPUS coordinator Assist. Prof. Elvis Žic by Tuesday, 23th October  2018. so that the realization of the same can start as soon as possible. The number of students from the Faculty of Civil Engineering in Rijeka is limited to a maximum of 20 students.You can view the program of last year’s summer school here, while the program and additional information for the upcoming summer school in 2019 will be known after the exact number of all participants.

Within the CEEPUS network called „Building Knowledge and Experience Exchange in CFD (CIII-RS-1012-04-1819)“ in Novi Sad was held from 5th to 10th July 2019, the 3rd summer school called „The 3rd Summer School of Computational Fluid Dynamics”.

The organizers of the summer school were the Faculty of Technical Sciences in Novi Sad (Associate Professor Siniša Bikić as the coordinator of the entire network) and the Faculty of Civil Engineering Rijeka (as a partner in the CEEPUS network). The summer school was held at the Faculty of Technical Sciences in Novi Sad.

A total of 11 students participated in the summer school (three students from our Faculty of Civil Engineering Rijeka – students Aleksandra Daić, Maja Šišović and Monika Delač), 6 professors (one from our Faculty of Civil Engineering Rijeka – Assist. Prof. Elvis Žic) and 3 doctoral assistants with Faculty of Technical Sciences from Novi Sad.

The summer school was extremely successful, with very interesting topics in the field of Computational Fluid Dynamics and discussions during and after the presentations. A preliminary agreement was also reached on the potential possibility of organizing the 4th International summer school with the same theme at the Faculty of Civil Engineering University of Rijeka, which will be held in two years. It is also a great opportunity for our students, as well as scientific and teaching staff to get involved and get acquainted with new methods, research and development within the Computational Fluid Dynamics.