The three-year project began on 1 June 2026. Funding was awarded under the Collaborative Scientific Research call and the Competitiveness and Cohesion Programme 2021–2027, with co-financing from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The project has a total value of nearly one million euros (€999,713.62), of which €926,932.20 is provided through grant funding. FOI is the project coordinator, while CodX Solutions Ltd. is the project partner. The meeting included a presentation of the project objectives and its expert team, with support provided by Prof. Renata Mekovec, PhD, FOI’s Dean-elect for the 2026/2027 academic year.
Project leader Prof. Blaženka Divjak, PhD, said:
“A learning analytics system such as the one we plan to develop through the LAS project is rare worldwide and does not currently exist in Croatia. At FOI, we have already developed research results and related tools, but integrating research findings, tools and data sources, while also taking into account the opportunities and risks associated with artificial intelligence, will provide the foundation for a comprehensive system. The objective is to transform large volumes of data and scientific findings into concrete actions that will improve learning and teaching, both in higher education and in all areas where lifelong education and learning need to be integrated. The learning analytics ecosystem will initially be developed at FOI, after which it will be brought to market and offered to other organisations in education and industry.”
From learning data to timely support
Learning analytics is a rapidly growing interdisciplinary field that combines education, data science and artificial intelligence to improve the understanding of learning processes, decision-making and the implementation of concrete actions. Although the field is developing rapidly internationally, comprehensive institutional approaches that integrate different data sources and enable learning analytics to be applied in practice within education and industry remain rare worldwide and do not yet exist in Croatia. However, since 2015, FOI established the Laboratory for learning analytics and academic analytics in 2015., headed by Prof. Blaženka Divjak, PhD, who is also a president of the global research organisation SoLAR.
The LAS project aims to make significant progress in this field. It will research and develop a system that integrates descriptive, diagnostic, predictive and prescriptive learning analytics. In other words, the system will not only show what has happened during the learning process but will also help explain why it happened, what may happen in the future and which interventions are likely to produce the best outcomes. Particular emphasis will be placed on the application of artificial intelligence while simultaneously complying with ethical, legal and regulatory requirements.
Artificial intelligence supporting higher-quality education
The potential of such a system extends far beyond data analysis. The development of LAS is aimed at improving the understanding of learning processes, providing students with more personalised and timely support, and offering educators and the management of educational organisations higher-quality insights to improve learning and teaching. At the institutional level, these insights can provide a basis for improving study programmes, assuring quality and making data-informed decisions in both education and industry.
The project does not end with the development of an information system. Its objective is to connect scientific research, practical application in education and training, and institutional decision-making. The developed concept could also serve as a model for future institutional and national learning analytics systems, enabling data exchange and comparability between institutions while respecting ethical and legal frameworks.
Science and industry join forces to develop a practical solution
An important component of LAS is the collaboration between the academic and business sectors. FOI brings research expertise in educational technologies, learning analytics and digital transformation, while the project partner CodX Solutions Ltd. contributes experience in developing software solutions and bringing them to market. The objective is to develop a solution that is simultaneously scientifically grounded, technically feasible and applicable in real-world environments, with the potential for use across different economic sectors and fields of activity.
Miroslav Šalković, Director of CodX Solutions Ltd., pointed out:
“For us, the LAS project represents an opportunity to work with FOI to transform cutting-edge scientific knowledge in learning analytics and artificial intelligence into a concrete, reliable and commercially viable solution. Our contribution focuses on developing a technology platform capable of integrating different data sources, scaling according to user needs and being applied not only in higher education but also in business systems. Organisations continuously invest in developing their employees’ knowledge and competencies, but they often lack sufficiently reliable data on the effectiveness of these activities. LAS can provide timely and useful insights that will enable education and professional development to be planned more effectively and adapted to users’ actual needs.”
In addition to its application in higher education, the project will explore the use of learning analytics in different business environments, including monitoring the effectiveness of employee training, adapting educational content and identifying competency development needs. LAS thus creates opportunities for the future commercialisation of the developed solution and its application beyond the academic sector.
The LAS project represents an important step towards a more systematic and responsible use of data and artificial intelligence to improve education, training and learning. Its significance extends beyond the development of the prototype itself: the project lays the foundations for the long-term development of learning analytics in Croatia, with the potential to improve educational quality, institutional effectiveness and the development of innovative digital solutions.
More information is available on the official LAS project website.
