In June 2018 at the University of Rijeka Rectorate, the County prefect Zlatko Komadina and the Rector Snježana Prijić-Samaržija have signed the Agreement on cooperation in the field of Smart specialization. The Primorje-Gorski Kotar County as regional self-governments, in cooperation with the University of Rijeka as highest education and scientific institution in the region, will establish a solid mutual cooperation in the creation of a regional scientific-research and innovation-development ecosystem through the joint Smart Specialization Strategy (S3)
The public institution “Regional Development Agency of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County” will actively participate in this project.
This cooperation is a prerequisite for the inclusion of public authority entities, entrepreneurs and other business entities as essential stakeholders of the S3 European strategy in fostering regional development, based on knowledge, realistic resources, capacities and interests.
The subject matter of the Agreement is the establishment of an interinstitutional framework in the following areas of Smart Specialization:
- public health and quality of life
- innovative and open society: citizenship, inclusion and culture
- bio-nano-info technology
- energy – transportation – sustainable development
- tourism, natural and traditional resources for the future.
Management strategy within the S3 platform:
- joint encouragement of integration of scientific-research and entrepreneurial capacities, with the aim of optimizing the use of real development potential
- strengthening of the scientific-research work directed towards development, innovation and transfer of knowledge
- joint establishment of scientific-developmental and innovative projects
- encouragement of projects financed from competitive international (EU) and domestic sources, programmes and funds
- development of educational programmes and continuation of the development of scientific-research capacities, which will be in line with the needs and relevant to development of the community, according to the regional strategy of Smart specialization
- joint development of relevant cultural and social innovations, fostering creativity and attracting talents
- joint mobilization of institutional, material and human potentials in which the University will systematically encourage the activities of its components, and the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County will strengthen the activities of cities and municipalities, as well as of organizations and institutions of which it is founder
- joint development and implementation of a communication strategy toward stakeholders of S3 projects and the regional community
- joint work on the dissemination of principles, vision and mission of the S3 platform
joint work on the visibility of the activities, projects and outcomes with a particular focus on relevance for the regional development and quality of life of the inhabitants of our region.