The purpose of this press conference was to inform the public about the contracts that have been signed in year 2013. within the project „Science and Innovation Investment Fund, Phase II“ (SIIF, Phase II) by higher education institutions and public research organisations of the Republic of Croatia in the amount higher than 11,2 million euros. The project SIIF, Phase II is implemented under responsibility of the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports, and consists of SIIF Grant Scheme and Technical Assistance to SIIF within the EU pre-accession programme IPA IIIC - Regional Competitiveness Operational Programme.

Within the Grant Scheme 19 contracts have been signed. The total value of the Grant Scheme amounts 11,2 milion euros (7.6 milion euros EU funding and 3,6 milion euros  national funding). In addition to the Grant Scheme, the Technical Assistance project for assistance to the beneficiaries in project implementation has been signed. The total value of the Technical Assistance project amounts 279.500,00 EUR ( 237.575,00 € EU funding and 41.925,00 € national funding).

The objective of the second phase of SIIF is to support sustainability of technology transfer activities and commercialization of research results of higher education institutions and public research organisations in order to contribute to sustainable regional development and industry competitiveness of high value added sectors of the economy. The important upgrade of the SIIF in this second phase is encouragement of higher education institutions and public research organisations to conclude collaborative projects with business sector.

Presenting contracts worth more than EUR 11.2 million, Minister Željko Jovanović and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds Branko Grčić said that this is the way to a greater investment in research aimed at raising the competitiveness of Croatian companies and enhancing knowledge transfer to Croatian economy.

They announced that until 2020 Croatia intends to raise the level of investment in science and research to 1.4 percent of GDP, instead of the previous 0.75 percent.
- Croatia has the knowledge and innovation, as well as entrepreneurship to be competitive at the moment of entry into the European Union, and the contracts presented on this occasion prove that fact. Given that the aim of the second phase of the SIIF project is to link science and innovation with the economy and to support the commercialization of research results and technology transfer of higher education institutions and public research organizations in order to contribute to sustainable regional development and competitiveness of the business sector - said the minister Jovanović - this is a wake-up call to all those who want to be competitive in the EU economy.

Most of the projects (four by Faculty) were signed by the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, University of Zagreb. Among the grantees are also Faculty of Forestry of Zagreb, Faculty of Agriculture and Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, then the University of Split, Rijeka and Zagreb, Mechanical Engineering Faculty in Slavonski Brod, Polytechnics "Marko Marulić" in Knin, Ruđer Bošković Institute and Meteorological and Hydrological Service in Zagreb.

Director of EU Technical Assistance Project Nicolas Manolopoulos congratulated holders of the projects and called for even greater and more efficient use of EU funds.