Two days of events with institutes in the country add a new chapter to successful scientific collaboration
EMBL and Croatia have enjoyed a constructive and evolving collaboration since the country joined as a full member back in 2006. As part of EMBL's commitment to expand scientific networks in its member states, this week saw a number of informative events taking place in both Zagreb and Split. Aimed at spreading awareness about the many opportunities that EMBL offers researchers in Croatia, the EMBL Info Days were organised in collaboration with the Croatian Ministry of Science and Education, and the School of Medicine at the University of Split. This event prioritised early career Croatian scientists interested in learning about EMBL research and activities, particularly pre- and post-doctoral training, as well as new ways to cooperate under the EMBL new programme, Molecules to Ecosystems.
This programme, covering 2022 - 2026, explores the molecular basis of life in the context of changing environments, offering vital insights into some of society's biggest challenges such as loss of biodiversity, food security, and antimicrobial resistance.
The audience also gained an insight into training opportunities that EMBL offers to early career researchers, EMBL's core facilities, and the wide range of scientific services and bioinformatics resources that can be accessed via EMBL-EBI.
Regarding the events, Head of EMBL International Relations Plamena Markova stated, "At EMBL we have just launched our new and ambitious programme, and I am very happy that over the past two days we had the opportunity to discuss the many benefits of this programme with our Croatian friends and collaborators. I also hope that these events will reach potential new collaborators and will incite new projects given how well-aligned EMBL's future plans are with the Croatian national scientific priorities and research strengths. Our aim is to scale-up cooperation on joint projects between EMBL and Croatia, increasing participation of Croatians and bringing them the many benefits offered by EMBL."
Hrvoje Meštrić, Director for Science and Technology at the Ministry of Science and Education stressed that, "Science is global and the Ministry of Science and Education considers international scientific cooperation one of its strategic goals. These Info Days are a new step towards strengthening scientific potential in Croatia and we would like to thank EMBL for visiting us."
The online and on-site audience in Zagreb was interested in understanding the full range of opportunities on offer thanks to Croatia's membership of EMBL, and networking enabled participants to further explore synergies and the possibility of forging new links between projects. Additional meetings with representatives of the Ruder Boskovic Institute, the University of Zagreb, and a visit to the affiliated School of Medicine, offered the context for fruitful discussions on future cooperation, particularly joint research and the use of EMBL services.
In Split, junior and senior scientists from several departments of the University of Split, as well as other local research institutes, got acquainted with EMBL's range of opportunities and explored multiple cooperation channels to be opened in the future, especially in joint training courses, marine biology, and medical scientific research contexts.
The Rector of the University of Split Prof. Dragan Ljutić highlighted that, "International cooperation and access to research tools are important assets for the scientific community in Croatia and these events represent great opportunities for young and established scientists alike to engage in joint projects with EMBL. The School of Medicine of the University of Split is open to plans, projects and initiatives with the role of improving science and all our support will be behind all efforts to enhance joint cooperation."
