Hrvatska zaklada za znanost

What Hrvatska zaklada za znanost does

Hrvatska zaklada za znanost (HRZZ), also known as the Croatian Science Foundation, is Croatia's national research funding organization, established in 2001 and operating under the Law on the Croatian Science Foundation (most recently updated as Narodne novine br. 57/2022). Headquartered in Zagreb with a secondary office in Opatija, HRZZ funds competitive research projects across all scientific disciplines through a portfolio of national programs including Research Projects (IP, EUR 60,000–200,000), Installation Research Projects (UIP, EUR 125,000–300,000), the DOK doctoral training program, and the NPOO-funded Mobility Programme (MOBDOK, MOBODL, MOBDOL). It also administers bilateral and multilateral international cooperation through the Weave initiative (with Swiss SNSF, Slovenian ARRS, and Czech GAČR), QuantERA for quantum research, and BlueBio ERA-NET.

HRZZ's core operational platform is the EPP (Elektronički sustav za prijavu, praćenje i provedbu projekata), a web-based electronic application system at epp.hrzz.hr that handles proposal submission, peer-review evaluation, project monitoring, and reporting throughout the project lifecycle. The organization operates a staff of 11–50 across functional departments covering financial affairs, legal affairs, project contracting, call preparation, evaluation, monitoring, international cooperation, and EU programme support.

The Foundation generates no commercial revenue; its funding flows from Croatian state budget appropriations, supplemented by EU programme co-financing and NPOO resources. Its customer base consists exclusively of Croatian public research institutions — universities (Zagreb, Rijeka, Split), faculties, and institutes such as Ruđer Bošković — that submit project proposals through the EPP system. HRZZ holds statutory authority as the primary national competitive research funding body and is a full member of Science Europe, the European platform of research funding organizations.

Name

Hrvatska zaklada za znanost

Legal name

Hrvatska zaklada za znanost

Website

https://hrzz.hr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hrvatska zaklada za znanost (HRZZ) is Croatia's national research funding foundation, competitively awarding grants across all scientific disciplines to Croatian universities and research institutes via its EPP electronic application system and international cooperation programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Research Funding

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAKAI

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Philanthropy, Foundations & Grantmaking

Keywords

• Research funding programs
• Scientific grant administration
• National science foundation
• Research project grants
• Bilateral research cooperation

Headquarters

HQ city

Opatija

HQ country

Croatia

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Research Funding: The Foundation receives annual government appropriations to fund competitive research grants. Funding is distributed through various programs including national research projects, young researcher careers, international cooperation, and mobility programs. The Foundation does not generate commercial revenue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hrvatska zaklada za znanost (Croatian Science Foundation, HRZZ) is a national research funding organization that administers competitive peer-reviewed grants for scientific research across all disciplines in Croatia. It funds established researchers, early-career scientists, and doctoral training through dedicated programs, and facilitates international research cooperation via bilateral agreements and multilateral initiatives. Operational support is delivered through the EPP electronic application and project management system.

Product overview

Hrvatska zaklada za znanost (HRZZ) is the Croatian Science Foundation, a national research funding organization. Its primary product is the EPP (Elektronički sustav za prijavu, praćenje i provedbu projekata) electronic portal, which serves as the operational platform for all grant management activities. HRZZ operates a portfolio of funding programs including Research Projects (IP) for established researchers, Installation Research Projects (UIP) for early-career researchers, the DOK doctoral training program, and the Mobility Programme with three sub-programs (MOBDOK, MOBODL, MOBDOL). International cooperation is facilitated through the Weave initiative (with Swiss SNSF and Slovenian ARRS), QuantERA (quantum research), and BlueBio (blue bioeconomy). Supporting services include the Project Database, PhD Café events, Horizon Europe/ERC support, and collaboration programs with the economic sector.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EPP (Electronic System for Project Application, Monitoring and Implementation) Web-based portal used by researchers to submit project proposals, track application status, and manage funded projects throughout their lifecycle. Serves as the operational platform for all HRZZ grant management activities.
• Research Projects (IP) Core national research funding program for established researchers with internationally recognized achievements. Three-year projects funded between 60,000 and 200,000 EUR.
• Installation Research Projects (UIP) Funding program for early-career researchers who obtained their doctoral degree 2-10 years prior. Supports establishment of new research teams with 5-year projects funded at 125,000-300,000 EUR.
• DOK Doctoral Training Program Program for training new doctoral students. Research assistants are employed on projects led by eligible mentors with competitive research projects. Funding covers total salary costs for assistants over 5 years (scientific institutes) or 6 years (higher education institutions).
• Mobility Programme Mobility program funded through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NPOO) supporting young researchers' international experience. Includes three sub-programs: MOBDOK, MOBODL, and MOBDOL.
• Weave Initiative - Swiss-Croatian Bilateral Projects (IPCH) Bilateral research funding under the Weave initiative with the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). Croatian and Swiss researchers submit joint proposals with evaluation led by SNSF. Project funding duration: 4 years.
• Weave Initiative - Slovenian-Croatian Bilateral Projects (IPS) Bilateral research funding through cooperation with the Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS). Joint Slovenian-Croatian projects with Slovenian principal investigators.
• QuantERA European network for coordinating joint calls in quantum research. HRZZ participates as a national funding partner enabling Croatian researchers to join multinational quantum technology consortia.
• BlueBio ERA-NET ERA-NET Cofund in Blue Bioeconomy focused on unlocking potential of aquatic bioresources. Joint calls covering supply systems, logistics, and transportation from harvest to processing in the blue bioeconomy sector.
• Project Database Advanced search database of all funded research projects, enabling public access to project information, outcomes, and research outputs.
• Horizon Europe / ERC Support Program Support services for Croatian researchers applying to European Research Council (ERC) grants and Horizon Europe programs, including guidance, training, and administrative assistance.
• Collaboration with the Economic Sector Funding program facilitating collaboration between academia and private sector, supporting knowledge transfer and application of research results in commercial contexts.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1 billion+ kuna invested in research projects
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, notable and supporting.

• Science EuropecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHRZZ is a full member of Science Europe, an independent platform of European Learned Societies and Research Organizations. This membership enables engagement in European science policy discussions and alignment with European research funding standards.
• ARRS (Slovenian Research Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBilateral cooperation agreement for joint Slovenian-Croatian research projects. Croatian Science Foundation co-finances Croatian portions of bilateral projects selected through ARRS evaluation (e.g., IPS-2020-01).
• SNSF (Swiss National Science Foundation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBilateral cooperation under the Lead Agency principle enabling Croatian-Swiss research teams to apply through either funding organization. SNSF conducts joint evaluation and HRZZ co-finances approved Croatian portions (e.g., IPCH calls).
• Weave Initiative (SNSF, ARRS, GAČR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultilateral Lead Agency initiative enabling researchers from Croatia, Switzerland, Slovenia, and Czech Republic to submit joint project proposals through a single lead agency, reducing evaluation burden and enabling cross-border collaboration.
• QuantERA ConsortiumnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean network for coordinated research funding in quantum technologies and related fields. HRZZ participates in joint calls for Croatian research teams.
• BlueBio ERA-NET CofundnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerERA-NET in Blue Bioeconomy with 15 partners from 13 countries. HRZZ contributed EUR 100,000 to the 2020 call targeting supply systems in blue bioeconomy.
• CRORIS (Croatian Research and Cooperation Infrastructure)supportingTechnology or IntegrationIntegration with the Croatian research information system for coordinated management of researcher and project data.
• SRCE (University Computing Centre)supportingTechnology or IntegrationCollaboration with SRCE for research computing infrastructure and services supporting funded projects.
• CARNet (Croatian Academic and Research Network)supportingTechnology or IntegrationCollaboration for network services and digital infrastructure supporting Foundation operations and funded research.
• Horizon Europe / ERCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupport programs for Croatian researchers applying to European Research Council grants. HRZZ provides national support and coordination for Horizon Europe participation.
• DUT PartnershipnotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerCroatia's participation in the Digital Univeristy Testing partnership enabling collaboration on digital transformation in higher education and research.
• AMPEU (Agency for Mobility and EU Programmes)supportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCoordination on mobility programs and EU funding opportunities for Croatian researchers.
• DIGIT (Digital Government Initiative)supportingTechnology or IntegrationCollaboration on digital transformation initiatives in public administration supporting science funding processes.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Czech Science Foundation (GAČR): Czech Republic's national research grant agency and fellow Weave multilateral partner. Closely comparable in mandate, program architecture (standard, junior, and bilateral projects), and post-communist transition context.
• Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF): Switzerland's national research funding agency and HRZZ's primary bilateral Lead Agency partner for the Weave initiative. Operates the same competitive, peer-reviewed national grant model across all scientific disciplines and serves as the evaluation lead for joint Swiss-Croatian calls.
• Austrian Science Fund (FWF): Austria's central public funding body for basic research, covering all disciplines with competitive, peer-reviewed project grants. Comparable mandate and program structure to HRZZ in a similar-sized European country.
• Hungarian National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NKFIH): Hungary's central RDI funding body, running competitive national project, postdoctoral, and international cooperation programs. Most directly comparable in size, regional context, and program mix to HRZZ.
• National Science Centre Poland (NCN): Poland's national research funding agency, focused exclusively on basic research with a competitive project-based model across all scientific fields. Shares HRZZ's post-accession Central European funding-agency profile and Weave-era cross-border cooperation activity.
• Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS): Slovenia's national research funding body and a core Weave partner of HRZZ. Runs an almost identical portfolio of national research project, early-career, and bilateral cooperation programs and co-finances Croatian-Slovenian projects selected through ARRS evaluation.

Broad incumbents

• National Science Foundation (NSF): U.S. federal agency supporting non-medical basic research across all fields. Operates the same competitive, peer-reviewed project-grant paradigm that HRZZ applies at a much smaller national scale.
• French National Research Agency (ANR): France's national research funding agency, operating a much larger portfolio of competitive grants across all scientific fields. Comparable funding model but at a substantially larger scale and with broader thematic programming.
• UK Research and Innovation (UKRI): U.K.'s strategic public funding body bringing together research councils across disciplines. Shares HRZZ's discipline-agnostic, competitive project-funding mandate but operates at much greater scale and with broader policy remit.
• German Research Foundation (DFG): Germany's central public research funding organization, covering all disciplines with competitive, peer-reviewed grants. The European gold-standard for national research funding agencies and a benchmark HRZZ's programs are implicitly measured against.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hrzz_science
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hrzz

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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