The funds have been awarded as part of the “Top Research of Centres of Excellence” call, issued by the European Structural and Investment Fund and the European Regional Development Fund, through the Operational Programme Competitiveness and Cohesion 2014-2020.

The “BioProspecting of the Adriatic Sea” project includes the strengthening of the capacities of the Center of Excellence for Bioprospecting of the Sea (BioProCro), led by Rozelindra Čož-Rakovac, through the implementation of top-level interdisciplinary research in the field of biotechnology of the sea, in order to obtain biologically active molecules of desirable properties for use in the pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic industries. It will also enable cooperation with international institutions and the transfer of technology since the biotechnology industry of natural compounds is a fast-growing market that will significantly improve the growth of the entire Croatian economy.

During the five-year timeframe, the project will directly involve 65 scientists, including ten new PhDs and ten new postdoctoral researchers. The BioProCro Centre brings together internationally recognised research groups in the fields of biotechnology, chemistry, pharmacology, microbiology, process engineering and ecology. This integration of research teams into a unique, modern centre contributes to innovative research of bioactive compounds and materials from the Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea.

The implementation of the project activities will bring together all Croatian research groups investigating bioactive compounds isolated from marine organisms in the Croatian part of the Adriatic. In addition to the Ruđer Boskovic Institute, the project partners include the Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology of the University of Zagreb, the University of Rijeka, the Faculty of Chemistry and Technology in Split, and the Faculty of Food Technology in Osijek.

Secondary caries, caries surrounding dental fillings, is the most common reason for their replacement, amounting up to 70% of replaced fillings. Bioactive remineralizing composite materials with the ion-releasing ability and the potential to build up destructed tooth structure by imitation of naturally occurring process of mineralization will be the foundation of our work and a strategy for secondary caries prevention. 

Fungi are the far least studied group of organisms in Croatia with only 23% of species recorded so far out of the total estimated number. The main project aim is to study fungal biodiversity of Croatian forests through the DNA barcoding methods and to analyze its impact on forest ecosystem services. The project will result in the addition of fungal DNA sequences to international bioinformatic databases for a number of species that are not represented in these bases to date. All DNA barcoded species in this project will be categorised in trophic groups (pathogens, saprotrophs, and mycorrhizal species) and the intensity of their impact on the forest ecosystem services will be assessed.

Projekt Vijeća za istraživanja u poljoprivredi (VIP), Ministarstvo poljoprivrede