Innovation boost for Croatia

When his post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Zagreb ended, Kosuke Nomura left Croatia with a heavy heart, "The research environment was very stimulating and I really wanted to carry on my work here. I heard about the programme and decided to give it a go." The programme that the young Japanese scientist was referring to is the tenure track pilot project launched by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), the SDC, the Croatian Ministry of Science and other partners. Talented early-career researchers are granted assistant professor status for four to five years, as well as a budget of around CHF 1.1 million to set up a laboratory and put together their own team. If all goes well, they are given a permanent professorship.

Not long after Nomura moved back to Japan, he learned that his application was successful. With the tempting prospect of being able to work independently and build his own team, he seized the opportunity to return to his "beloved" Croatia. In May 2019 he began working on his theoretical nuclear physics project to develop a universal framework to describe the structure and dynamics of atomic nuclei. According to Olivier Küttel, head of International Affairs at EPFL and programme founder, the subject matter might appear abstract but the mathematical modelling on which the research is based could have real-world applications in fields like banking, engineering and industry: "Researchers attract other researchers, which in turn fosters innovation, creates jobs and provides a launch pad for start-ups."

For Susanne Zumstein, programme officer for Croatia at the SDC, "Scientists build international networks. Boosting Croatia's research output will attract investment, foster dialogue and help open up the country. These are all key contributors to sustainable and inclusive economic growth."

Croatia still lags behind the rest of Europe when it comes to research; publications by their researchers receive little attention. Hopefully, the work of Kosuke Nomura and that of the two other successful Croatian candidates – one woman and one man – will help to reverse the trend by improving the standing of Croatia and Europe in their respective fields of research.