Frequently asked questions

The project consists of two complementary components which basically represent two key elements of mine action in general – humanitarian demining and support to mine victims.
Firstly, the demining of highly contaminated and dangerous area of the Kotar Forest in the Sisak-Moslavina County will be performed. The demining of Kotar Forest is a precondition to ensure safety and security of the population in the area.
Secondly, the programme of socio-economic empowerment of mine victims will be carried out and implemented through the establishment of a comprehensive database and assessment of mine victims’ needs. This will be a foundation for creating different programmes for the end-users with the aim to increase their employability and competitiveness in the labour market. These activities will be carried out to the whole area of the Republic of Croatia that has been affected by the Homeland War.

Implementation of the project activities will last for 48 months. Thus, demining component will be completed fairly quickly while the socio-economic empowerment will be conducted in the longer run due to the comprehensive approach which will be applied, involving a broader number of stakeholders in order to integrate victim assistance into structural frameworks that will ensure that assistance is provided to people on the ground. This network will include relevant ministries (health care, war veterans etc.) as well as public institutions (ombudsman for persons with disabilities, employment service, institute for public health, pension insurance institute etc.).

Total budget of the project is 3.530.000,00 CHF out of which  national co-financing is in amount of  533.404,40 CHF. Total value of the demining contract is 2.814.000,00 CHF out of which 2.391.900,00 CHF is Swiss contribution and 422.100,00 CHF is national co-financing. Total value of socio-economic component is 716.000,00 CHF out of which 604.695,60 CHF is Swiss contribution and 111.304.40 CHF is national co-financing.

According to data gathered in Croatian Mine Action Centre’s (CROMAC’s) “Database on Mine Incidents” during the period from 1996 to 2016 there were 595 casualties from which 203 killed. And particularly the Sisak-Moslavina County is one of the areas in Croatia with the highest number of post-war casualties (from 1996 to 2016, 114 persons were involved in mine incidents, with 38 fatalities and 48 heavily injured; in the Kotar forest, in the same period, 16 mine incidents were registered, of which 10 were fatal and 6 were with serious injuries).

The Sisak-Moslavina County ranks as the second most mine contaminated county in Croatia (75 km²) and of the total mine suspected area 74 % are forests and forest land. About 15 km² of total Petrinja township area (380 km2) is mine suspected, posing a danger to the inhabitants and jeopardizing their socio-economic development. More than half of mine suspected area is located in the Kotar forest, which was a former military front line and a partially occupied territory during the Homeland War. In short, land contaminated by mines and explosive remnants of war represent a threat to people’s safety and impede post-conflict development. Plus, humanitarian demining is in a broader sense a peacebuilding activity because it involves local communities to actively participate in a decision-making procedure for its further development. It se therefore much more than purely a technical activity.

Eurostars is a publicly financed programme and is currently supported by 36 EUREKA member countries and the European Union. It supports research-performing small and medium enterprises, which develop innovative products, processes and services, to gain competitive advantage by providing funding for transnational innovation projects.

The project aims at the support of Croatian R&D-performing entrepreneurs, enabling them to hand in Eurostars projects with international partners and compete successfully in it. Impact envisaged is to increase the level of international innovative R&D cooperation involving Croatian SMEs resulting in jobs created and innovative products placed on the market.

Project altogether is worth almost 1,2 mil CHF, from which Switzerland will invest 1 mil CHF til the end of 2024.

Reimbursement of costs of the Croatian participant in the Eurostars project (around 1 mil CHF) and around 0,2 mil. CHF will be invested into Eurostars program promotion, logistics of events (workshops, company missions, brokerage events, including co-financing of travel and accommodation costs of Croatian SMEs participating in them) and voucher scheme for consultant services in project application phase toward Croatian SMEs.

Croatian SMEs will have the opportunity to participate in international match-making events (brokerage, company mission, training on project writing etc.) for which costs will be co-financed, as well as get voucher for using consultant services when preparing their Eurostars application.

• Intermediary body: The Republic of Croatia through the Ministry of Environment and Energy and the Ministry of Finance
• Executing Agency: Hrvatske vode, Project Implementation Unit established within Hrvatske vode – Unit for Implementation of National Water Management Projects
• Final Beneficiary: Utility Company “KP Delnice”, since 2013 a Public Water Service Provider (PWSP) in the ownership of a local self-government unit (LSGU)

Improvement of water supply and wastewater infrastructure of the Delnice, Fužine, Brod Moravice agglomerations in the Gorski Kotar region, in the context of implementation of the Directive concerning urban wastewater treatment (91/271/EEC dated 21 May 1991) and Directive on the quality of water intended for human consumption (98/83/EC dated 3 November 1998)

The ultimate project objective is to stop the stagnation in development and improve the quality of life of the people living in the Gorski Kotar region.

The MUNICIPAL WATER INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT (SWISS FUND) is financed from a Contribution of the Swiss Government in the amount of CHF 21.5 million up to a total of 85% of the net sub-project investment. The remaining 15% of the investment excluding the Value Added Tax (VAT) is financed by the Final Beneficiary (10%) and Hrvatske vode (5%).

The towns/municipalities covered by the Project:

• Delnice and Fužine,
• Brod Moravice,

Named towns/municipalities are under the competence of the Komunalac d.o.o. Delnice utility company.

Delnice agglomeration
Planned works: extension of the sewer system and reconstruction of water supply system structures. Estimated costs: app. HRK 79 million.

Fužine agglomeration
Planned works: construction of sewer system structures (sewers and a 2500 PE wastewater treatment plant) and reconstruction of water supply system structures. Estimated costs: app. HRK 60 million.

Brod Moravice agglomeration
Planned works: construction of sewer system structures (sewers and a 1630 PE wastewater treatment plant) and reconstruction of water supply system structures. Estimated costs: app. HRK 38 million.

The Project will promote civil society’s contribution to economic and social cohesion as important actors of development and participation. Their contribution will be strengthened through the partnership with public education institutions which will bring greater commitment and ownership of the project outputs and opportunities for reinforcing innovation and non- institutional learning.

Financed activities will be primarily focused on children and youth as well as their family members related to improving their skills and knowledge on sustainable development.

Eligible applicants are civil society organisations – CSOs and eligible partners are public education institutions.

Funds planned for this grant are 5,28 M CHF and it is foreseen to support approximately 40 CSOs projects.

The duration of a single project financed through the NGO Block Grant is up to 24 months.

The overall goal of the project is to promote local economic and social development in Croatia through increased mutual cooperation and partnership between Croatian and Swiss institutions, local self-government units and civil society organisations.

Financed activities will be focused on exchanging information and transfer of know-how between Swiss and Croatian organisations in the area of sustainable local development.

Eligible applicants and partners are local and regional government bodies (municipalities, cities, and counties), public education institutions and civil society organisations.

Funds planned for this grant are 2,2 M CHF and it is foreseen to support approximately 20 partnership projects.

The duration of a single project financed through the Partnership Block Grant is up to 24 months.

The Tenure Track Pilot Programme (TTPP) is a part of the Swiss-Croatian Cooperation Programme, which represents piloting of a career development model for outstanding young researchers. Its implementation will support the development of a new system for career development and advancement in public research organizations, thus increasing the international recognition and visibility of the Croatian Research System.

The Pilot Programme will be implemented by the Croatian Science Foundation (CSF) in cooperation with the Swiss partner, the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). The Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds of the Republic of Croatia will act as the National Coordination Unit (NCU) and the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Croatia (MSE) will act as an intermediate body for the implementation of the programme. The total budget for the programme is CHF 4,700,00.00, with a 85%-contribution from the Swiss partner of and a 15%-national-contribution.

The aim of the programme is to support outstanding young researchers in forming independent research groups and acquiring prerequisites and skills for future employment. This programme for outstanding young researchers represents a new model of career development based on clear and internationally competitive and, more importantly, internationally comparable and merit-based criteria. The new pilot programme is directed towards institutional promotion of research excellence, raising innovative capacities, while developing a mentorship system based on high quality research. The emphasis will be placed on career development plans of young researchers on each project. In addition, research and development activities should focus on topics that are of importance for the technological development of the country and on research areas and topics that may drive economic growth of the Republic of Croatia.

The target group of this programme are early-stage researchers, who will be selected through a public, open and transparent selection process. These early-stage researchers will be provided with financial resources and scientific independence to launch their first research gathering. The Principal Investigator or lead researcher should be an outstanding young researcher who at the date of the recruitment must be in possession of a doctoral degree. The period between the date when the researcher has been awarded a doctoral degree and the date of application to the call must not be shorter than two years and longer than seven years. A typical research group will consist of 1 Principal Investigator, 1-2 postdoctoral fellows and 1-2 PhD students.

The projects will be implemented in the Croatian public research organizations following a basic requirement that the institution has experience in conducting research activities at an international level and that the research team can be provided with freedom and independence in conducting research. A typical grant will cover salaries for the research team (PI, PhD students and Post-Docs), as well as research cost, equipment cost, cost of dissemination (promotion) and mobility expenses. With the funding currently available, 4-5 research groups can be funded for the period up to 6 years.

The expected outcome is the establishment of a new career development and advancement model for young researchers, which will primarily be based on international criteria. Immediate results include the selection of outstanding researchers who will be the leaders of research teams composed of outstanding postdoctoral and doctoral students.