Mission of the Institute
1. Advancing of long term fundamental and applied research within the strategic priorities of the Republic of Croatia, based on relevance and excellence according to criteria of most developed countries.
2. Applications of some parts of research through collaboration with industry and establishment of small companies.
3. Broad involvement into education process, primarily through openness for needs of all Croatian universities in education of students at the doctoral level.
Besides this, the Institute believes that its obligations include the open attitude to general public through the Open days of the Institute, through collaboration with schools and through involvement into the activities of trade societies whose activities include the promotion of natural sciences and the presentation of major investigations in physics.
Postulates for defining the Mission
As measured by concrete and well established criteria the Institute has succeeded in developing internationally renowned competitiveness and excellence in quite a few of its activities. In the first place we mention the results and quality of scientific research, as measured by publishing of scientific papers in international quality science journals, and by their scientific impact. There are three important factors behind this quality: (i) the existence of the nucleus of internationally affirmed researchers who successfully lead scientific projects, both those financed by our Ministry and numerous international projects; (ii) the collaboration of the Institute with the international scientific community which has resulted in additional financial support through projects and various other aspects of international cooperation; (iii) the Institute’s infrastructure (laboratories, major and personal scientific equipment, networked information and computer system, library, specialized workshops, etc.).
Scientific output per researcher has over many years been higher than the world average, which is one of the indicators of the justifiability of the money invested. Besides this, there is quite a lot of self-building of scientific instruments which has already resulted in some commercial products. Focusing of the Institute’s research projects on femto-, bio-, nano-, and electronic and structure research in four main topics (New phenomena in atomic, molecular and optical physics, Critical phenomena and modelling of complex systems, Superconductivity and magnetism in complex systems, Nanostructures) within the unified research program "Physics of new stares of matter" enables broad and flexible approach to study of structure and various properties of matter. A major part of the Institute’s Mission stays in this field. Nevertheless, we find it important to stress that the long lasting research work has produced the synergy effect which manifests itself in excellence and expertise level which exceeds the results of any particular research.
3 years’ vision
Scientific goals
a) To achieve that all segments of research reach the front of the relevant scientific fields.
b) To achieve that the majority of fundamental research is focused and technologically motivated.
c) To achieve high percentage of development of new experimental devices and methods.
d) Give six permanent positions to young PhDs in order to rejuvenate the scientific staff.
By means of requesting maximal performances in scientific research one may reach the original solutions which may, under favourable circumstances, turn into a spin-off activities.
Development goals
e) To create permanent favourable atmosphere for innovations and spin-off ventures.
f) To permanently promote the activities on specific technological projects. (HITRA, Framework 6, Framework 7 of the EU, etc.).
g) To continue the collaboration, as per contract, with the existing Institute’s spin-off venture.
h) To substantially enlarge the offer of small products for physics education in schools.
i) To try to create at least one more spin-off venture (interferometry and holography).
j) To continue consulting cooperation with Croatian companies.
k) To involve the Institute into development projects dealing with new products and technologies of Croatian companies.
The bottom line of these goals is the idea that the innovation arises as a product of the fundamental research and that the commercialisation of the innovation proceeds out of the Institute, through the concept of spin-off ventures, which has proved itself as effective at the foreign institutions similar to our Institute. In this way Croatian economy will obtain new products and technologies, i.e. the top quality development. At the same time, such approach ensures large added value to the investments in research.
Educational activities
l) To become an important component of graduate and doctoral studies in physics within the Croatian universities.
m) To become involved in government and non-government project of e-education (e-Hrvatska).
n) To reach the level of four PhDs per year and for new graduate students per year.
o ) To become involved into processes of lifetime education in physics.
Infrastructural premises
p) To proceed as the production centre for liquid helium and nitrogen.
r) To become a regional centre for magnetism and superconductivity, measurements of transport properties of materials, cryogenics, laser physics and ultra fast spectroscopies, and for physics of nanosystems.
s) To proceed with the modernization of mechanical and electronic workshops.
t) To continue, together with the other scientific institutions, primarily with the neighbouring ones (Faculty of Sciences (PMF), and Ruđer Bošković Institute (IRB)), the activities on building the infrastructural network of scientific equipment in order to make optimal both spending of financial resources and fulfilment of needs of scientific projects
Monitoring
u) To complete the international evaluation of the scientific activities at the Institute.
10 years’ vision
In ten years we see the Institute as a dynamical institution of very high scientific quality, deeply involved and functionally integrated into European research community, with numerous fundamental and applied projects linked to both Croatian and international subjects. The existing high level of the Institute will allow for the elastic adjustment of research interests to long time priorities of the Republic of Croatia which would be formulated in this period. Throughout this period we plan the employment of young PhDs, since a large part of the present scientific staff of the Institute would meet the conditions for retirement.
We also see the Institute deeply involved and functionally integrated into the educational processes at the Croatian universities, primarily as an important component of the infrastructure which would enable the educational processes according to criteria of the Bologna processes, mainly regarding the doctoral studies.
We hope that the Institute will have intense cooperation with the development departments of the competitive companies in the region.
We believe that during this period a few more spin-off companies will be established, and that some of them will survive.
Strategic research
The Institute has proposed 5 programs and three self-contained projects of strategic research for next 5 years. They have 4 strategic focuses:
New phenomena in atomic, molecular and optical physics,
Critical phenomena and modelling of the complex systems,
Superconductivity and magnetism in complex systems and
Nanostructures.
This program, as well as the proposed projects reflects the orientation of the Institute towards the research connected to the strategic commitment of Croatia to transform, on the basis of excellence and relevance principles, into modern developed country integrated in Europe. Its development should be based on knowledge, the application of this knowledge in education and economy, and on the highest level competitiveness.
The Institute has already been deeply integrated into the international network of scientific institutions through 22 formal and 28 informal scientific collaborations.
Most of the research within the program is related to new materials and new methodologies and techniques which gave potential value in scientific research, metrology, medicine, trace detection etc. The applied research may be arranged into three groups: Lasers in application, Optics in application and Devices and technologies.