Croatia 
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Area: 56594 km2 |
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Population: 3862305 |
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GDP at current prices (M EUR): 67989.5 |
| GDP per capita at current prices (EUR): 25700 | |
| % of National GDP: No information available. | |
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% of Unemployment: 0.07 |
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Regional GERD (%): 1.24% |
In Croatia, STI and regional competences are exclusively at the national level. Croatia has only a national Smart Specialisation Strategy. The Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development and the Ministry of Science and Education, in charge of science and research, co-chair the National Innovation Council (established in 2018), the governance body of S3 in Croatia, which provides strategic direction and comprises top-level representatives of the institutions involved. At the operational level, a Technical Secretariat, an Inter-ministerial Working group representing the main governmental stakeholders and three advisory councils support the National Innovation Council. The Inter-ministerial Working Group is tasked with coordinating the system on a daily basis. The three advisory councils include the Innovation Council for Industry; the National Council for Science, Higher Education and Technology Development; and the National Council for Development of Human Potential. At the bottom-up level, the entrepreneurial discovery process has a specific governance structure, grouped into Thematic innovation Platforms, including Thematic innovation Councils, Priority Action Groups, and Croatian Competitiveness Clusters. The S3 governance structure implies that innovation policy is suborndinate to the S3 rather than S3 being integrated into innovation policy.
For information on regional S3s, please return to the homepage: https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/assets/s3-observatory/index_en.html
| Name of strategy | Smart Specialisation Strategy 2029 |
| Type of strategy | National |
| Languages | HR |
| Strategy approved | Yes |
| Name | Position | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Marija Rajaković;Ana Varjacic | Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds Ministry of Science and Education | marija.rajakovic@mrrfeu.hr;ana.varjacic@mzo.hr |
Improving the EDP and supporting the RDI Missions for Strategic Partnership
The targeted assignment for Croatia focuses on supporting the country's efforts to stimulate investment in Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) and advance regional growth through 14 identified Regional Value Chains (RVCs). These RVCs are key to driving industrial transition toward higher-value economic sectors via the Strategic Partnership for Innovation (SPIN), which operates with a budget of €320 million. SPIN facilitates collaboration in technology, knowledge, and product development within niches defined by the RVC Action Plan. This targeted assignment aims to help Croatian authorities align SPIN initiatives with critical societal challenges by employing "Missions for RDI" to address regional development issues. Additionally, it includes the development of a methodology to implement 14 workshops—one for each value chain—to define the goals, priorities, and roadmap for each Mission.
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Aerospace & Defence ➝ | |
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Agri-food ➝ | |
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Construction ➝ | |
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Creative & Cultural Industries ➝ | |
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Digital ➝ | |
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Electronics ➝ | |
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Energy/Renewable Energy ➝ | |
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Energy Intensive Industries ➝ |
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Healthcare ➝ | |
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Mobility, Transport & Automotive ➝ | |
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Proximity Economy ➝ | |
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Retail ➝ | |
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Social Economy ➝ | |
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Textiles ➝ | |
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Tourism ➝ |
These keywords, identified using AI and manually verified, highlight the key elements of each strategic priority as reflected in individual strategies.
These keywords, identified and associated through semantic AI algorithms and manually reviewed, support the search function by identifying topics related to each strategic priority. While a priority may not explicitly focus on these keywords, they provide meaningful connections. For exxample, agricultural terms might relate to circular economy priorities, such as biofuels or agricultural waste valorisation. Semantically associated keywords enable users to find regions with similar or related priorities, offering a starting point for deeper exploration of each specific strategy.
| Priority | Descriptive keywords | Semantic keywords |
|---|---|---|
| Personalised health care | Integrated and personalised health solutions, internet of things, remote tracking devices, big data analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, medical and dental tourism | health, health research and innovation, digital health, health informatics |
| Smart and clean energy | Smart energy solutions, clean energy solutions, modern energy technologies, modern generation capacities, small electricity system applications, large electricity system applications, power plants, energy efficiency technology, energy management technology, advanced energy storage, e-mobility infrastructure, renewable energy sources, advanced materials, waste-to-energy solutions, green heat systems, green infrastructure solutions, carbon capture systems | circular economy, renewable energy, energy efficiency and smart energy, energy efficiency technology, digital transformation, intelligent systems and automation, smart energy system |
| Smart and green transport | Smart green vehicles, smart green vessels, alternative fuels, advanced materials, smart transport infrastructure | mobility, transport, smart urban mobility system, public transportation, sustainability in transport, green infrastructure and mobility, digital transformation, intelligent systems and automation, smart energy system |
| Security and dual use – awareness, prevention, response, resolution | Security incident awareness, security incident prevention, security incident response, security incident remediation | horizontal priority |
| Sustainable and circular food | Sustainable management, sustainable development, agriculture, forestry | circular economy, climate action, agrifood, sustainable agriculture, food systems, food quality enhancement, nutrition & health, functional food, nutraceutical food |
| Adapted and integrated wood products | Adapted wood products, integrated wood products, forestry, wood production, wood processing, wood manufacturing | wood-based biofuel, wood, furniture, forest |
| Digital products and platforms | Computer programming, ai development, big data development, gaming, creative solutions, software development technologies, fintech, blockchain, edu-tech | digital transformation, data and technology solutions, blockchain technology, digital business model, automation and digital transformation, industrial automation |
| Economic classification (NACE section & division) | Scientific classification (NABS digit 1 & 2) | |
|---|---|---|
| Personalised health care |
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| Smart and clean energy |
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| Smart and green transport |
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| Security and dual use – awareness, prevention, response, resolution |
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| Sustainable and circular food |
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| Adapted and integrated wood products |
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| Digital products and platforms |
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| Document type | Link |
|---|---|
| Webpage | Kohesio: Region/Member State |
| Webpage | Link to ERDF programmes database |
No information available.
No information available.
No information available.
Industrial Modernisation
Sustainable Blue Economy
Energy