“The establishment of the center is a historic act by which the leading Croatian scientific institutions will join together and take an important step forward for Croatian and European science, toward the establishment of a future center of European excellence,” said Dr. Danica Ramljak. Dr. Ramljak also stressed the fact that this is an excellent opportunity for other Croatian institutions and entrepreneurs to engage in the process of the development of new scientific projects and the commercialization of knowledge. She also mentioned the current activities of the Ruđer Bošković Institute in this area: outstanding research, the Adriatic School of Nanonscience, to be held for the second time in September of this year in Dubrovnik, and also specifically referred to intense cooperation between the Ruđer Bošković Institute and Finnish institutions in the area of nanotechnology.

The establishment of a Croatian center for advanced materials and nanotechnology is part of a joint initiative among the Ruđer Bošković Institute, University of Zagreb and the Institute of Physics, in order to provide the scientific research infrastructure required for the synthesis, characterization and processing of new materials on the macro-, micro- and nano- scales. The project of constructing the center is based on the existing knowledge and expertise of research groups. Through the consolidation of this knowledge within the framework of the center, together with the production of new materials and the strengthening of research, a new facility will be opened for the development of new technologies and the training of young people.

Materials science is one of the fastest growing scientific disciplines in the world, especially due to the fact that a relatively short time is needed for the commercial application of discoveries in this field of research. New materials are currently the basis for new generations of electronic components, solar power and a variety of intelligent and functional biomaterials.

In addition to the signatories of the Letter of Intent, the public signing was attended by representatives of the four components of the University of Zagreb involved in the project: the Dean of the Faculty of Science in Zagreb, Prof. Amir Hamzić, Ph.D., the Dean of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, Prof. Nedjeljko Perić, Ph.D., the Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture, Prof. Ivan Juraga, Ph.D., Maja Balarin, Ph.D., of the Faculty of Medicine in Zagreb, and the Vice Rector for Research and Technology of the University of Zagreb, Prof. Melita Kovačević, Ph.D.