The session was opened by the Dean of FOI, Prof. Marina Klačmer Čalopa, PhD, who thanked the Council members for their attendance and continued support for the Faculty’s work. On this occasion, it was highlighted that new members of the Economic Council had been appointed at the Faculty Council session held on 16 April: Danijel Fatović (OTP banka d.d.), Darko Jureković (Oracle Academy EMEA), Vjekoslav Martinčić (TIS), Luka Šmic (Lunax), and Ivan Vučetić (FINA). The session was also attended by Moreno Grgurić (IBM iX DACH & Croatia), Tomislav Jukić (CROZ), Goran Kanižaj (SICK Mobilisis d.o.o.), Goran Kovačević (Infinum d.o.o.), Marko Manojlović (Oracle), Prof. Zlatko Erjavec, PhD, Assoc. Prof. Ivan Malbašić, PhD, Assoc. Prof. Zlatko Stapić, PhD, Prof. Nina Begičević Ređep, PhD, Prof. Neven Vrček, PhD and Amalija Koren Cavaleiro.
The President of the Economic Council, Goran Kanižaj (SICK Mobilisis), emphasized the importance of connecting the education system with industry, especially in the context of preparing young people for the labour market. He welcomed the new Council members, stressing that they are long-standing partners of FOI.
Three key topics were discussed during the session: cooperation between the Faculty and industry, entrepreneurship and the startup ecosystem, and current issues related to the Faculty’s development.
The Dean presented the Faculty’s current projects and achievements, particularly highlighting that FOI had received international ASIIN accreditation for its undergraduate university programme Information Systems and Business Systems. During the accreditation process, the international commission especially praised the Faculty’s high-quality cooperation with employers.
The status of the FOI 2 building project was also presented, representing the second phase of the university campus worth EUR 20 million. The project has been included among the most important strategic projects of Varaždin County within the North Croatia Development Agreement approved by the Government of the Republic of Croatia. The new campus will provide additional laboratory capacities, research opportunities, and even stronger cooperation with industry.
In the second part of the session, Prof. Nina Begičević Ređep, PhD, presented the progress of the Regional Center for Pre-incubation in Smart Industry, scheduled for completion in April 2027. The Center will focus on supporting the earliest stages of entrepreneurship, the development of student startups, spin-off companies, and research projects. A special value of the project lies in the application of the triple helix cooperation model involving academia, industry, and the public sector, as well as in partnership with Swiss Smart Factory.
A pilot educational programme is currently underway, involving FOI lecturers and industry partners, covering 10 student ideas and 26 students.
The participants concluded that the synergy of education, innovation, and business is the key to the further development of the Faculty and the creation of new opportunities for students and the wider community.
