August 8, 2022 - Dejan Gemeri is a physics doctoral student from Vukovar, who studies at the university in Wuppertal. He announced a competition for a student scholarship that he will pay out of his funds, which he aptly named Gemerica. This way, Gemeri continues to help the community where he grew up.

Press 032 reminds us that Gemeri previously awarded HRK 3,000 to the student of generation of the Nikola Tesla Technical School from Vukovar.

"I am hereby announcing a competition for a scholarship from my funds, which I aptly named "Gemerica". All students residing in Vukovar can apply (surrounding villages are also considered because everything is too close and connected to make a difference). The amount of the scholarship is €100 for 10 months. Certain institutions, when announcing tenders, require that you study within the borders of the Republic of Croatia. Unlike them, the concept and goals of education are completely clear to me, so that does not matter. If you study in Vukovar, Osijek, Zagreb, Novi Sad, Belgrade, Tuzla, Turin, or Malta, it doesn't matter, you can apply.

All you have to do is send a motivational letter to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Why did you choose that particular study? What motivates you? What are your work experiences? What are your life plans and goals? Etc. This is just an example of some guidelines, but you should write what you think is important. No rules. The grade point average doesn't mean much to me because it's no proof that you know or don't know something or that you're good at something or not. Mine was also a horror because I was only interested in certain things, while I procrastinated on others because I had to (it's like that at every university).

Preference is given to full-time students. Graduate students (4^th and 5^th year) also take preference because they should already be able to clearly articulate their immediate future.

The competition lasts until August 21, after which 2 other people will review the letters together with me so that we can observe everything from different perspectives. After that, I will narrow it down and arrange a short Zoom (video) call to make sure that you are a live person and maybe ask one or two questions if there is anything unclear. After that will come the final selection, where we will formalise things and the first payment will happen in October. Quite simply.

Likewise, I assume that there will be several good candidates, so accordingly I am open to donating another scholarship, of the same amount", Gemeri wrote in his Facebook post.

He added that this is an invitation to others who have left their villages and cities in recent years to help the community in which they were born. According to him, there are still many young people in Croatia who need help to get an education, stand on their own feet, and become their own people.

"Investing in knowledge is the best possible investment, and it is up to our society to enable young people to get an education and make progress. Many need help, and fortunately, many can help in this or a similar way. My example is an invitation to others to get involved in some way. Let them use my model or come up with something new. It is important to help young people in need", concluded Gemeri.

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ZAGREB, 12 April 2022 - Under the Croatian national scholarship programme called "For Women in Science", four recipients were formally awarded scholarships for 2022 at a ceremony held in Zagreb on Tuesday.

The scholarships under this scheme are awarded to up-and-coming researchers in natural sciences and interdisciplinary areas, and this year those are Natalija Ivanjko, a molecular biotechnologist, Katarina Mužina, a chemical engineer, Ana Novačić, a molecular biologist, and Marsela Polić, a scientist at the Zagreb Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology.

Until 2021, this scholarship programme, supported by the Croatian Ministry of Culture and L'Oreal Adria, had covered 58 young women researchers who did projects and studies for their doctoral degrees.

ZAGREB, 28 Nov, 2021 - The European Commission has published a call for the submission of applications for the Erasmus+ programme and has allocated as much as €3.9 billion for its implementation in 2022.

Of this amount, more than €36 million has been set aside for Croatia, which is an increase of €8 million compared with 2021, when Croatia had at its disposal over €28 million, the Agency for Mobility and EU Programmes said in a statement.

This more generous budget for 2022 will bring greater opportunities for Croatian citizens to study abroad, pursue their internship and professional practice, exchange experience and engage in international cooperation in the areas of education and training, youth and sport, the agency's director Antonija Gladović said.

The Croatian budget for Erasmus+ 2022 includes €30.2 million for education and training and €5.2 million for projects that will give young people better opportunities. Mobility and cooperation projects will support the green and digital transition and promote active citizenship and participation in democratic life. Such projects have already increased the resilience of the education and training system during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Inclusion, which aims to give as many people as possible access to learning and international projects, remains one of the fundamental principles of the Erasmus+ programme, which celebrates its 35th birthday next year, the statement said.

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ZAGREB, 25 Aug, 2021 - Patriarch Porfirije of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) is personally financing scholarships in the new academic year for students from Croatia via the "Vladimir Matijević" fund which is managed by the Serb Privrednik association, reads a press release issued by the association on Wednesday.

Underscoring that during his service in Zagreb, when he as Metropolitan ran the Eparchy of Zagreb and Ljubljana, Patriarch Porfirije supported and assisted the association's activities and scholarship holders and that he will continue to do so as the SPC head.

"In the last academic year, Privrednik provided scholarships for 80 students, mostly from underdeveloped areas in Croatia. Ahead of the new academic year, we are intensively collecting funds as we have until now, for scholarships for talented students and those of poorer economic status. Annual scholarships amount to HRK 5,000 for secondary school students and HRK 10,000 for university students."

Some of the distinguished persons from the creative industries have been engaged in the campaign to collect those funds: singer Momčilo Bajagić Bajaga, and actors Goran Bogdan, Voja Brajović, Svetlana Bojković and so on.

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 ZAGREB, 21 July, 2021 - The Central State Office for Croats Abroad has shortlisted 168 candidates from 16 countries for scholarships to learn the Croatian language in the 2021/2022 academic year in the four biggest cities in Croatia.

A total of 340 applications were received with 255 being eligible.

Most of the applications received were from South American countries - Chile (45), Argentina (37), Bolivia (25), Peru (19) and one each from Ecuador, Italy, Lebanon, Cuba, Canada, Belgium and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The scholarship includes the tuition fee, subsidised meals and a monthly allowance of HRK 400 (€53) for accommodation in a student dormitory or a private apartment, which is paid to all students who successfully complete the semester.

Most of the candidates have said they want to study in Zagreb (125) and Split (30), and ten have applied for Rijeka and only two for Osijek.

The scholarships are available to persons of Croatian descent, their spouses, friends who nurture the Croatian identity and promote Croatia's culture. Applicants must be at least 18 years old, have a secondary school education and reside abroad or not have lived in Croatia for more than three years.

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ZAGREB, 3 June 2021 - A call for applications for scholarships for young persecuted Christians from developing countries in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa advertised by Croatia's Ministry of Science and Education and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs has attracted 5,500 candidates.

A total of HRK 1.5 million was set aside in the state budget for scholarships for undergraduate and graduate university study for young persons persecuted for their faith so that they would be able to study in Croatia, gain knowledge and then return to their home country, where they will help to build their communities and democratic and tolerant society. The money will be used for their study and accommodation during their studies in Croatia.

The ministries will analyze the applications for scholarships, evaluate them and then decide which candidates will be awarded a scholarship for the 2021/2022 academic year, in accordance with the available funds.

The money for the Croatian scholarships for young persecuted Christians was ensured in the state budget on the basis of an amendment to this year's state budget submitted by independent MP Marijana Petir and accepted in November 2020.

Marijana Petir told Hina that the number of candidates "exceeds all expectations".

According to Petir, data of organizations that follow trends in religious freedoms show that Christians are exposed to discrimination and persecution, so such a large number of applications for Croatian scholarships is not surprising.

She recalled that the pontifical foundation Aid to Church in Need had presented the 15th edition of the Religious Freedom in the World Report, for the 2018-2020 period, which had shown that out of the 196 countries analyzed, human freedoms were seriously violated in 62 of them. In 30 countries, people were killed for religious reasons.

"The report shows that the right to freedom of religion is being violated in one of three countries, and it is estimated that about 67% of the world population, or 5.2 billion people, live in countries where there are serious restrictions on religious freedom," Petir said.

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