In June 2013, based on a proposal by the Minister of Education, Science and Sports, the Agency for Science and Higher Education started the evaluation procedure of research quality aimed at establishing centres of excellence in research. By 16th of September 2013, the deadline for submission of proposals, the Agency received 55 applications.
Application and evaluation procedure was conducted by the Agency based on documents that regulate the procedure of application and evaluation, a public tender and international reviews in evaluating project proposals. For this purpose, the Accreditation Council, as an expert body of the Agency, nominated members of panels for evaluation of project proposals with an aim of establishing scientific centres of excellence at its 43rd Session, held on 22nd October 2013. Evaluation of applications included verification of formal requirements, evaluation of proposals carried out by international experts and final assessment carried out by evaluation panels.
Selection of experts was completed by 9th December 2013. The Agency sent a request for cooperation to approximately 1700 international scientists. On average, one out of 13 reviewers who were contacted agreed to participate in evaluation, 134 in total. Their names and CVs were sent to the Accreditation Council. All of the international experts were instructed in the process of writing reviews. The deadline for submission of reviews was 30 days of receipt of the nomination. Appointed reviewers come from 29 countries, most of them from the USA (25).
The list of evaluated project proposals by a project leader’s name, in alphabetical order:
1. Akrap, Anđelko: Center for Research on Aging and Longevity – ‘Centre of Excellence’
2. Augustin, Goran: Development of the Center of Excellence for Advanced Orthopedic and Trauma Medical Devices
3. Babić, Sandra: Centre of Excellence in Water Science and Technology – AquaNet
4. Barbir, Frano: Center of Excellence for New Sustainable Energy Technologies and Systems
5. Basarić, Nikola: Croatian Center of Excellence in Photochemistry and Spectroscopy (CroCEPaS)
6. Bischof, Sandra: Centre of Excellence of Multifunctional Textile Materials (ZCI-MTM)
7. Bonačić-Koutecký, Vlasta: Center of Excellence for Science and Technology Integrating Mediterranean Region (STIM)
8. Božikov, Jadranka: Scientific Centre of Excellence for Public Health Research and Health Programme Development
9. Brigljević, Vuko: The Centre of Excellence for Particle and Astropartical Physics
10. Čišić, Dragan: The Centre of Excellence for Innovative Learning Technologies
11. Čović, Ante: The Centre of Excellence for Integrative Bioethics
12. Čurik, Ino: Applied Genomics Technology Centre of Excellence
13. Erceg, Marijan: Croatian Institute for Public Health – Center of Excellence for Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental Health of the Population (HIA)
14. Fulgosi, Hrvoje: Centre of Excellence for Plant Biology and Biotechnology
15. Galešić, Krešimir: Centre of Excellence for Glomerular Diseases Research at Dubrava University Hospital Zagreb
16. Glavičić, Miroslav: Centre of Excellence: Shallow Seismic Methods in Archaeological Field Survey
17. Grbac, Bruno: Centre of Excellence for Socially Relevant Consumer Decision Making
18. Ivanda, Mile: Ion Beam Physics and Technology Center of Excellence
19. Jakšić, Milko: The Centre of Excellence for Physics and Ion Beams Technology
20. Ježek, Davor: The Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Research of Reproduction and Development
21. Jonjić, Stipan: Centre of Excellence for Research in Viral Immunology and the Development of New Vaccines
22. Jotanović, Zdravko: Genetics of Large-joint Osteoarthritis in Croatian Population – „The Centre of Excellence“
23. Judaš, Miloš: Croatian Brain Research Institute: The Centre of Excellence in Basic, Clinical and Translational Neuroscience
24. Kalogjera, Livije: Centre of Excellence for Research in Chronic Upper Airway Inflammation and Nasal Hyperreactivity
25. Karbić, Damir: Project Proposal for Foundation of the Croatian Centre of Excellence for Critical Editing of Sources and Research of Auxiliary Sciences of History for History of the Middle Ages and the Early Modern
26. Kožar, Ivica: Centre of Excellence for Monitoring and Maintenance of Structural Health (CEMaStHealth)
27. Kralik, Gordana: Scientific Center Of Excellence for Sustainable Production of Quality and Functional Food
28. Kralj, Marko: Center of Excellence for Science on Graphene and Related 2D Structures
29. Kusić, Zvonko: Croatian Scientific Center of Excellence for Thyroid Disorders
30. Lauc, Gordan: Scientific centre of excellence in Glycoscience
31. Lipovac Vrkljan, Goranka: Centre of Excellence for Ancient Ceramics
32. Macan, Jelena: Center of Research Excellence Environment and Respiratory Health
33. Mihaljević, Milan: Centre of Excellence “Centre for Croatian Glagolitism”
34. Milošević, Slobodan: Croatian Centre of Excellence for Investigation and Technology of Plasma
35. Miščević, Predrag: Center of Excellence: Blast-Induced Damage Zone around Underground Excavations in Carbonate Rocks
36. Pavičić, Jurica: Scientific Centre of Excellence for School Effectiveness and Management
37. Petrović, Ivan: Centre of Research Excellence for Advanced Cooperative and Cognitive Systems (ACROSS)
38. Raić-Malić, Silvana: Center of Excellence for Medicinal Chemistry (CoEMedChem)
39. Rusak, Gordana: Centre of Excellence for the Research of Plant Polyphenols and Their Newly Synthetized Derivatives in Promoting Health
40. Schatten, Markus: Centre of Excellence for Computational Organization Theory
41. Seiwerth, Sven: Scientific Center of Excellence for induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Research
42. Sinčić Ćorić, Dubravka: Scientific Centre of Excellence for Research of Integration of Lobbying in the Decision Making Processes
43. Stipčević, Mario: Center of Excellence for Photonics and Quantum Optics (CEPQO)
44. Šlaus, Mario: The Contribution of a Croatian Center of Excellence to our Understanding of the Health Consequences of Migrations in Croatia from the Antique to the Early Modern Period
45. Štih, Željko: Centre of Excellence for Transformers
46. Štulhofer, Aleksandar: Scientific Centre of Excellence for Longitudinal Study of Social Change
47. Terzić, Janoš: Center of Excellence for Basic and Translational Cancer Research – CECR
48. Tomić, Silvia: The Scientific Center of Excellence in Physics of Advanced Materials (CroCEPAM)
49. Turkalj, Mirjana: Translational and Scientific Centre of Excellence for Allergic and Respiratory Diseases
50. Vekarić, Nenad: Scientific Centre of Excellence: Transformations of the Collective and Individual Identities on the Territory of Dubrovnik in Long-term Continuity (from Prehistory to Modern Age)
51. Vikić Topić, Dražen: Centre of Excellence in Natural Compounds and Biotechnology
52. Vilibić, Ivica: Centre of Excellence in Oceanography and Fisheries
53. Vugrek, Oliver: Centre of Excellence for Applied Biosciences
54.Vukičević, Slobodan: Croatian Scientific Center of Excellence for Regenerative Medicine
55. Zuckerman, Zora: Centre of Excellence: Tourism and Handicap.
First Croatian Scientific Centres of Excellence were announced at the session of the National Council for Science, Higher Education and Technological Development, held on 10 November 2014:
1. The Centre of Excellence for Advanced Materials and Sensors – CEMS
2. Center of Excellence for Science and Technology Integrating Mediterranean Region (STIM)
3. Croatian Scientific Center of Excellence for Regenerative Medicine
4. Centre of Excellence for Research in Viral Immunology and the Development of New Vaccines
5. The Centre of Excellence for Integrative Bioethics
6. Centre of Excellence “Centre for Croatian Glagolitism”
7. The Centre of Excellence for School Effectiveness and Management