Croatia currently invests around 0.97% of its GDP in research and development, and the government plans to raise that rate to 2.5%, it was said at a national innovation exhibition, which brought together 21 domestic companies in Zagreb on Thursday.
The government’s plan was presented by the State Secretary at the Economy and Sustainable Development Ministry, Natasa Mikus Zigman.
Addressing the event, organised by the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, she said that innovation was a key element of the European and Croatian economic development and recalled that in the past two years a national innovation council and five thematic innovation councils were established.
Speaking of the financing of research, development and innovation projects from the EU’s structural and investment funds, Mikus Zigman recalled that the largest portion of those investments had been conducted through two big calls and that so far more than HRK 1.6 billion had been made available.
Also, 143 grants have been awarded owing to cooperation between the Ministry and the HAMAG-BICRO agency for SMEs, she said.
Mikus Zigman said that an innovation index published in September ranked Croatia 41st of 131 surveyed countries, which is three places better than in 2019.
Also, a European success ranking shows that in 2019 Croatia was for the first time among countries considered as moderate innovators while before that, it was in the group of modest innovators. Now we are in the company of the Czech Republic, Italy, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovakia and Slovenia, she said.
Assistant Minister Zvonimir Novak said the coronavirus pandemic had revealed the vulnerabilities of the national economy.
That is why it is necessary to put emphasis on the need for reindustrialisation, and without investment in research and development and innovation that will be an impossible mission. The EU, too, puts emphasis on green and sustainable industries and innovation and we have been fully following EU trends, said Novak.
Four years ago investment in research and development accounted for a discouraging 0.76% of GDP and now progress has been made so by 2030 those investments could account for 3% of GDP, Novak said, noting that that could be achieved if the pandemic calmed down.
