RIT Croatia joins BOOST4STEM, a €2 million European initiative to advance innovation and entrepreneurship in STEM education

RIT Croatia has been selected as a partner in BOOST4STEM – Fostering STEM Innovation and Entrepreneurship Ecosystems in Higher Education, a new €2 million European project funded through the EIT Higher Education Initiative 2025, a program supported by the European Union. The project will run for 24 months, starting on September 1, 2026.

Led by Rzeszów University of Technology (Poland), the project brings together eight partners from across Europe with the goal of strengthening innovation and entrepreneurship in STEM education by integrating entrepreneurship, innovation, intellectual property management, and research commercialization into teaching and research activities. Rather than approaching entrepreneurship through isolated workshops or short-term activities, the project seeks to create lasting institutional change. It will introduce structured innovation education, mentoring, startup development pathways and research-to-market support mechanisms that can continue beyond the project’s funding period.

From classroom ideas to real-world impact

At RIT Croatia, project activities will be led by Dr. Jasminka Samardžija, with the participation of Dr. Kristina Šorić and Dr. Martin Žagar.

“BOOST4STEM is more than an educational project; it is an investment in the creativity, courage, and potential of our students. Our vision is to create an environment in which students do not simply learn about innovation, but learn how to become innovators, how to recognize challenges, transform knowledge and research into solutions, protect their ideas, validate them in the real world, and confidently bring them closer to the market. At RIT Croatia, we are especially proud to lead the research-to-market and startup development pathway, connecting students with structured mentoring, international expertise, and entrepreneurial opportunities. We want every student to know that their idea matters, that their knowledge can create real value, and that they have the power not only to prepare for the future, but to help shape it,” said Dr. Jasminka Samardžija.

RIT Croatia will lead the project work package dedicated to research commercialization and startup development across the consortium. This role builds on RIT Croatia’s experience in experiential learning, entrepreneurship education and applied business development.

The work package will establish a shared pathway through which promising student projects, research results and early-stage ideas can progress from initial identification to validation, mentoring, intellectual property planning, prototype development and startup readiness.

Through this process, students and researchers will receive support in assessing the feasibility and market relevance of their ideas, developing sustainable business models, preparing for collaboration with industry and connecting with incubators, accelerators and wider European innovation networks.

The project will place particular emphasis on hands-on learning. Students will work with real-world challenges, learn from business and innovation experts and gain experience in presenting, testing and refining their solutions.

“STEM students from different universities are the primary participants in the project. Economics and business students contribute as members of interdisciplinary STEM teams by providing market, financial, and commercialization expertise. In particular, since RIT Croatia offers programs in both social and technical sciences, the project creates a unique environment for interdisciplinary collaboration, enabling students to combine their complementary knowledge and skills. In today's interconnected world, this approach fosters strong synergies within our student community and prepares students to develop innovative, market-oriented, and impactful solutions to real-world challenges,” said Dr. Kristina Šorić.

Building innovation capacity across Europe

Over the course of the project, more than 6,000 students, faculty, and administration staff across participating institutions are expected to take part in entrepreneurship and innovation education activities. The project also aims to support at least 16 startup teams, contribute to the creation of five new startups, and establish or strengthen 11 innovation and entrepreneurship support structures within partner institutions.

The project will also promote inclusive participation, with targeted opportunities for women and groups that remain underrepresented in STEM innovation and entrepreneurship.

Connecting students with European innovation ecosystems

BOOST4STEM is closely aligned with the priorities of EIT Urban Mobility and EIT Raw Materials, particularly in areas such as sustainable mobility, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, circular economy and climate-neutral industry.

Through this alignment, students and startup teams will be better prepared to participate in European innovation challenges, educational programs, mentoring networks and acceleration opportunities.

By combining education, research and business collaboration, BOOST4STEM will strengthen the role of universities as regional innovation anchors and help create a new generation of graduates who are prepared not only to enter the labor market, but also to create new ventures, technologies and solutions.

BOOST4STEM consortium

The project consortium includes:

• Rzeszów University of Technology (Poland) – lead partner
• WeCreate (Bulgaria)
• RIT Croatia (Croatia)
• Charles University (Czech Republic)
• Institute for Regional Development (Czech Republic)
• Urban Forum Association (Poland)
• Ege University (Türkiye)
• İzmir Kâtip Çelebi University (Türkiye)

Through BOOST4STEM, RIT Croatia will continue to expand opportunities for students and faculty to engage with innovation-driven learning, entrepreneurship, and research commercialization while contributing to the development of stronger European innovation ecosystems.