Croatian Academic and Research Network

What Croatian Academic and Research Network does

CARNET (Hrvatska akademska i istraživačka mreža – CARNET) is a Croatian public institution that operates the country's national academic and research network, connecting 4,130 institution locations and offering more than 70 services spanning connectivity, cybersecurity, digital education, identity management, and research infrastructure. Its service portfolio includes core products such as AAI@EduHr (the unified authentication and authorization system that gates access to virtually all CARNET services), e-Dnevnik (electronic class register used by 1,379 schools), CARNET Debian (a customized GNU/Linux distribution for member institutions), sys.backup (Bacula-based encrypted backup), sys.monitor (Icinga 2-based network monitoring), CERT iffy (national incident response), the PiXi security platform, CARNET Loomen (Moodle-based LMS), and integrations with Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace for Education. The underlying platform architecture is a unified identity layer (AAI@EduHr) wrapped around network connectivity, content filtering, collaboration tools, and administrative systems such as e-Matica, e-Upisi, and Državna matura.

CARNET serves primary and secondary schools, universities, scientific research institutes, and select public institutions, with three membership tiers granted by the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth: full membership (public higher education and secondary schools, indefinitely funded by the state), associate membership (entities contributing to science and higher education), and temporary membership (healthcare, cultural institutions, state bodies, time-limited). It also administers the .hr country-code top-level domain, runs the annual CARNET User Conference (CUC) and THECUC, and participates in the pan-European GÉANT research network.

The organization is a government-owned public institution financed from the Croatian state budget through the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth, with no private equity or venture capital backing. Full members receive telecommunications lines, equipment, and services at no direct cost (Ministry-funded), while associate and temporary members must finance their own connectivity infrastructure. Additional revenue takes the form of EU cascade funding (e.g., the EUR 7.87 million NCC-HR deployment project, 50% funded by the Digital Europe Programme through 2028) and grant-based project funding for initiatives such as BrAIn, CroQCI, e-Sveučilišta, and CISOO. Distribution and customer support are handled by 200+ employees distributed across nine Croatian cities (Zagreb, Rijeka, Osijek, Split, Pula, Dubrovnik, Zadar, Slavonski Brod, Varaždin), supplemented by a network of CARNET coordinators and system engineers at each member institution.

Name

Croatian Academic and Research Network

Legal name

Hrvatska akademska i istraživačka mreža – CARNET

Website

https://carnet.hr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

CARNET is the Croatian public institution operating the national academic and research network, connecting 4,130 educational and research sites through 70+ services (connectivity, cybersecurity, e-learning, identity, .hr domain administration) funded by the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Zagreb

HQ country

Croatia

HQ region

Europe

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: CARNET is a public institution operating within the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth. The organization is financed from the state budget through the Ministry. Full member institutions receive telecommunications lines and equipment provided/leased by CARNET at no direct cost, with the Ministry covering expenses.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CARNET provides digital infrastructure and ICT services for Croatia's academic, educational, and scientific community, connecting 4,130 institution locations via a national backbone and offering more than 70 services. Its portfolio spans high-speed connectivity, e-learning platforms, school administration software (e-Dnevnik, e-Matica), identity federation (AAI@EduHr), cybersecurity operations (CERT iffy, CARNET Meduza), and cloud/server hosting, all delivered primarily to public schools, universities, and research institutes.

Product overview

CARNET operates as a platform-plus-modules architecture providing over 70 services to Croatian education and research institutions. The core infrastructure includes the AAI@EduHr authentication system, the e-Dnevnik electronic class register (used by 1379 schools), and the CARNET network connecting 4130 institution locations. Key product categories include: computer security services (PiXi Platform, CERT iffy, content filtering); communication and collaboration (CARNET Zimbra, CARNET Meduza, video conferencing, Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace integrations); digital education tools (e-Dnevnik for schools/teachers/students/parents, CARNET Loomen LMS, Edutorij, e-Laboratorij, e-Lektire, EMA); system engineer services (CARNET Debian, sys.monitor, sys.backup, sys.virtual); and administrative systems (e-Matica, e-Upisi, Državna matura). The organization also operates the National Coordination Centre for Cybersecurity (NCC-HR) and manages the e-Škole digital maturity program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• e-Dnevnik: Online application for maintaining electronic class registers, used by 1379 schools in Croatia
• CERT iffy
• PiXi Platform
• CARNET Meduza
• AAI@EduHr
• e-Matica
• CARNET Debian

Products and services

• CARNET Network Connectivity

Quantifiable outcome

• e-Dnevnik used by 1379 schools across Croatia for electronic class register management
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• National Coordination Centre for Cybersecurity (NCC-HR)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 February 2025CARNET designated as operating entity for NCC-HR by the Government of Republic of Croatia. Project 'Deployment of NCC-HR' worth EUR 7.87 million approved with cascade funding from European Commission, half funded by Digital Europe Programme through 2028. Positions Croatia as leader in strengthening Europe's cybersecurity ecosystem.
• GÉANT AssociationcoreTechnology or IntegrationCARNET collaborates with GÉANT Association and other European academic and research networks, participating in international activities and projects. GÉANT is the pan-European network for research and education, providing high-speed connectivity across Europe.
• Ministry of Science, Education and YouthcoreOthersCARNET operates within the Ministry, which serves as its oversight body and primary funder. The Ministry grants membership status to institutions and coordinates educational policy alignment.
• Agency for Education and Training (AZOO)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating organization for educational programs and training services. Partner in e-Sveučilišta project for digital education.
• Agency for Vocational Education and TrainingmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for vocational education digital transformation initiatives.
• National Center for External Evaluation of EducationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for educational assessment and evaluation systems integration.
• Faculty of Organization and Informatics, University of ZagrebmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner for research and development in digital education.
• European Commission / Digital Europe ProgrammecoreOthersFunding source for cybersecurity projects including NCC-HR deployment (EUR 7.87 million project, 50% funded through 2028).
• MicrosoftmajorTechnology or IntegrationProvides Microsoft 365 for Schools service to CARNET member institutions, enabling cloud productivity tools for educational institutions.
• GooglemajorTechnology or IntegrationProvides Google Workspace for Education to CARNET member institutions, offering unlimited mailbox capacity and cloud collaboration tools for educational use.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Internet2: US-based non-profit computer networking consortium for research and education. Comparable in mission (advanced network and shared services for research and higher education), but operating at a much larger and broader scope than a single national NREN like CARNET.
• GÉANT Association: Pan-European research and education networking organization. Comparable as the umbrella consortium that CARNET itself participates in; GÉANT operates the pan-European backbone and shared services that connect European NRENs, making it both a partner and a broader incumbent in the same space.

Direct peers

• JISC: UK's national digital, data, and technology agency for higher education and research. Directly comparable as a publicly funded NREN-like organization delivering network connectivity, identity (UK AMS), cybersecurity (Jisc CSIRT), and shared digital services to universities and colleges.
• SURF: Dutch collaborative organization for ICT in education and research. Closely comparable in mandate and structure — providing high-speed research networking, identity (SURFconext), cloud and security services to Dutch higher education and research institutions under a government-backed model.
• RENATER: French national telecommunications network for education and research. Directly comparable peer providing backbone connectivity, identity federation (AAF), and CERT services to French higher education and research institutions.
• DFN (Deutsches Forschungsnetz / DFN-Verein): Germany's national research and education network association. Comparable as a membership-based organization delivering the X-WiN backbone, DFN-CERT, and shared services to German universities and research institutes, often alongside government funding.
• ARNES: Slovenian Academic and Research Network. Closely comparable in scale, mandate and ecosystem — a national NREN providing connectivity, identity (ArnesAAI), and CERT services to Slovenian universities, schools, and research institutions.
• RedIRIS: Spanish academic and research network operated under the umbrella of the Spanish government. Comparable in providing connectivity, identity (SIR), security (IRIS-CERT), and digital services to universities and research centers.
• NORDUNET: Nordic infrastructure for research and education, also the developer of the OpenNMS / NRD ecosystem. Comparable as a multi-country research network backbone coordinating national NRENs and providing shared services across Nordic universities.
• PSNC / PIONIER Consortium: Poznan Supercomputing and Networking Center and the Polish NREN consortium PIONIER. Comparable national research network delivering HPC, connectivity, and identity services to Polish universities and research institutes, often alongside EU-funded project work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/carnet_hr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Croatian Academic and Research Network