International Projects

Climate change poses unprecedented challenges, threatening ecosystems, economies, and human health worldwide. The urgent need for effective solutions highlights the disconnect between scientific research and real-world application. Many researchers struggle to translate their findings into practices that address pressing environmental issues. Bridging this gap is essential for fostering sustainable change and empowering future leaders in climate science. Funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the GAIA COFUND project will support promising young scientists in developing practical solutions for climate mitigation and adaptation. Emphasising collaboration with industry, the programme equips fellows with the skills to navigate both academia and the industrial landscape. With 24 partners, GAIA fosters a network that promotes open science and innovation.

Coordinator: University of Southern Denmark, SDU (Denmark)

Partner: University of Rijeka, Faculty of Civil Engineering (Asocc. Prof. Nino Krvavica)

Duration: 2025-2029

Budget: 1.432.800,00 EUR

Web page: https://www.thegaiaproject.eu/about

The overall objective of the project is based on EU and national documents dealing with climate change adaptation and coastal management. The aim is to improve the capacity of urban and coastal communities in the Adriatic to adapt to climate change, including climate-resilient spatial planning and lifelong learning. The project will develop adaptation plans for selected local communities. 

Expected results:

• Strategic guidelines for climate-resilient spatial planning
• Higher Education Curriculum for Climate Transition
• Adaptation plans for selected areas (Crikvenica, Sali)

The project coordinator is the University of Rijeka, Faculty of Economics, and the partners are the Institute for Physical Planning of PGC, the Faculty of Civil Engineering in Rijeka, the Municipality of Sali, the City of Crikvenica, the Abruzzo Region, the University of Camerino.

Partner: Faculty of Civil Engineering Rijeka (Assoc. Prof. Iva Mrak)

Project implementation period: 4/2024-9/2026

Budget: 1.928.010,59 € (80% co-financing ERDF)

Web page: https://www.italy-croatia.eu/web/crescoadria

The RESONANCE project has as a goal to mitigate the risks of landslides and erosion in the Adriatic Region, which pose threats to both human safety and infrastructure, impacting the regional economy and tourism. Leveraging advancements in geophysics, remote sensing, and virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR), and augmented reality (AR), the project seeks to enhance understanding and civil protection procedures by improving understanding about thye factors controlling coastal landslides and erosion processes. 

Through the selection of four pilot sites, numerical analyses, and the development of a virtual database for data sharing and visualization, RESONANCE aims to predict future processes and improve communication and cooperation among stakeholders. The integration of VR, MR, and AR will facilitate dissemination methods, promote tourism, and inform the creation of coastal vulnerability plans and civil protection guidelines, with virtual tools playing a key role in tourism promotion.

Lead partner: University of Urbino “Carlo Bo” (Italy)

Partner: Faculty of Civil Engineering (Assoc. Prof. Igor Ružić)

Duration: 3/2024-8/2026

Budget: 1.183.551,15 EUR (80% ERDF)

Web page: https://www.italy-croatia.eu/web/resonance

The project “Extended Reality for Training Green Skills in the Construction Sector” has been approved under Key Action 2: Vocational Education and Training.

XRGREEN.CON aims to promote circular economy topics in construction, showcasing examples, best practices, and learning experiences through educational AR/VR gamified simulations. The project will enable employees, employers, and industry stakeholders to gain experience and practice real-life situations within a virtual simulation.

The project will implement the following key activities:

1. Defining the necessary skills required by construction trainers in relation to extended reality and environmental protection in the construction sector.
2. Developing online and interactive learning resources.
3. Creating virtual and augmented reality scenarios for trainees in the sector, focusing on green topics.
4. Promoting green and digital transition in construction through XR tools.

Project Coordinator:

Liepajas Valsts Tehnikums (Latvia)

Partner:

Faculty of Civil Engineering, University of Rijeka (Assoc. Prof. Neira Torić Malić, PhD)

The project has been awarded a budget of €250,000 for a 24-month duration.

Project Duration:

October 1, 2024 – July 31, 2026

Website: https://xrgreencon.eu/

The Faculty of Civil Engineering is a partner in the Erasmus+ KA2 project “Open GLASSroom.”

The University of Rijeka (which has authorized the Faculty of Civil Engineering to implement this project), together with five European universities, has received €400,000 in support from Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnerships for the Open GLASSroom project. This funding will enable us to establish and launch an online platform for education on glass design and engineering, accessible to everyone.

Despite its popularity, glass is still considered a highly specialized material, rarely taught at technical universities and certainly not at the same level as more commonly used materials such as steel, concrete, and wood. By developing a future-oriented joint curriculum for glass based on contributions from a diverse international community of glass experts, this Erasmus+ project will consolidate existing knowledge and create synergy among students, lecturers, researchers, and industry professionals across Europe.

The project consortium includes six European universities: Technische Universität Dresden, Delft University of Technology, Czech Technical University in Prague, University of Rijeka, Universitat de Girona, and Politecnico di Bari, with support from industry partners: Arup, Permasteelisa Group, Octatube, Bellapart Group, ABT bv, Eckersley O’Callaghan, and the International Year of Glass 2022. The proposal was developed with financial support from the TU Dresden Internationalization Funding Program.

Together, we will produce high-quality educational materials on glass design and engineering, digitize them, and share them as Open Educational Resources (OER) on the Open GLASSroom open-access online platform. The project will address both fundamental and emerging topics in research and innovation, including the sustainability of glass in construction. The project results will be shared beyond our consortium, encouraging active participation from students, lecturers, researchers, and industry professionals.

The project started on November 1, 2022, and will run for three years.

Website: https://tu-dresden.de/bu/bauingenieurwesen/bauko/studium/oer-projects/open-glassroom/

Open GLASSroom Team

Adriana Bjelanović | University of Rijeka (Faculty of Civil Engineering)

Francesco Fiorito | Politecnico di Bari

Faidra Oikonomopoulou, Christian Louter, Mauro Overend | TU Delft

Jagoda Cupać, Aline Bergert | TU Dresden

Daniel Trias | Universitat de Girona

Martina Eliášová | CTU Prague

Funding Source: Scientific and Technological Cooperation Croatia – PR China 2025-2026
Project Leader: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nina Čeh
Project Implementation Period: 2025-2026

Funding Source: Scientific and Technological Cooperation Croatia – PR China 2025-2026
Project Leader: Prof. Dr. Leo Škec
Project Implementation Period: 2025-2026

Funding Source: Scientific and Technological Cooperation Croatia – PR China 2025-2026
Project Leader: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Martina Vivoda Prodan
Project Implementation Period: 2025-2026

The aim of this project is to investigate numerical methods for the time integration of non-smooth contact dynamics problems with unilateral contacts and impacts. In general, this will involve implementing common so-called “event-capturing” schemes for time integration and applying them to an engineering mechanics problem, specifically, the rocking of a rigid block on an elastic beam.

More precisely, the project will focus on analyzing the convergence, stability, and accuracy of these schemes, followed by an investigation of their applicability in predicting the dynamic behavior of the studied problem. The latter will be carried out through validation of numerical results with experimental measurements.

Funding Source: Ministry of Science and Education (MZO), Croatia – DAAD, Germany
Project Leader: Assist. Prof. Dr. Teo Mudrić
Project Implementation Period: 2024-2025

Funding Source: International Programme on Landslides, International Consortium on Landslides

Project Leader: Prof. Dr. Željko Arbanas

Collaborators:

• Assist. Prof. Dr. Josip Peranić
• Prof. Dr. Sabatino Cuomo
• Dr. Angela Di Perna, Postdoctoral Researcher, Salerno University, Italy

Project Implementation Period: 2023-2027

Budget: The project provides funding for the dissemination of results.

Funding Source: International Programme on Landslides, International Consortium on Landslides

Project Leader: Dr. Josip Peranić

Collaborators:

• Dr. Željko Arbanas
• Dr. Vedran Jagodnik
• Dr. Martina Vivoda Prodan
• Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering, University of Zagreb – Dr. Sanja Bernat Gazibara

Project Implementation Period: 2022-2026

Budget: The project provides funding for the dissemination of results.