{"id":5914,"date":"2026-01-28T12:46:45","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T11:46:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/efri.uniri.hr\/?page_id=5914"},"modified":"2026-06-24T07:06:25","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T05:06:25","slug":"aspire-centre","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/efri.uniri.hr\/en\/projects\/research-and-centres\/aspire-centre\/","title":{"rendered":"ASPIRE Centre"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Assessing and Studying Performance for Innovative Resilience and Excellence<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>ASPIRE stands for striving to achieve a shared goal of high value. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Vision<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The vision of the ASPIRE Center is a knowledge-based future in which resilience and excellence drive positive change in addressing the pressing challenges of the 21st century. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We aim for local and regional quality-of-life conditions where health and safety are prioritized, the environment is preserved, digitalization enhances everyday life, inequalities are reduced, and well-being and life satisfaction are strengthened. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Through a commitment to evidence-based policies and ambitious scientific advancements, our goal is to develop a research center and an international hub of knowledge that shapes sustainable and inclusive societies, empowers individual and creative talents, and improves community well-being so that people can reach their full potential. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Mission<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The mission of the ASPIRE Center is to address five key scientific and public policy challenges: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Promoting health and safety:<\/strong> by advancing research, policies, and practices that ensure access to quality healthcare, disease prevention, effective crisis and disaster management, and mental and social well-being. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Advancing climate sustainability:<\/strong> by developing new knowledge and solutions for climate change mitigation, sustainable resource management, and environmental protection. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Leveraging digitalization and big data:<\/strong> through responsible use of digital technologies and big data to drive innovation, social impact, and ethical application for the benefit of society. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reducing inequalities and poverty:<\/strong> by advocating inclusive policies, conducting data-driven research, and implementing interventions that address social disparities. <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Enhancing well-being and life satisfaction:<\/strong> by focusing on holistic well-being, mental health, and quality of life through advanced research and strategic initiatives. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Through rigorous research, partnerships, and evidence-based policy recommendations, the Center aims to lead transformative change from the local to the global level. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Center of Excellence<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The five drivers of excellence of the ASPIRE Center are: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Knowledge leadership<\/strong> (economic performance, industrial clusters, leadership) <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Innovative approaches<\/strong> (forward-thinking, new cooperative models) <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Regional and global impact<\/strong> (multi-level interactive approaches) <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Collaboration and partnerships<\/strong> (connection with international networks) <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Empowerment of talents and organizations<\/strong> (creating opportunity platforms) <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>These drivers guide the Center\u2019s commitment to performance assessment, strategic resilience (\u201cprosilience\u201d), and scientific excellence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Organization<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The ASPIRE Center operates as an agile, project-oriented organization: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Parallel small research teams <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Dedicated teaching staff for short-term programs (students and professionals) <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Targeted participation in national and international research programs <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Strong focus on publishing in high-quality scientific journals <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Coordination of international scientific networks and platforms <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Institutional Background<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Rijeka<\/strong> has been a prominent higher education institution since 1961, educating economists, professionals, and researchers in the region. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Its success in scientific, professional, and educational fields is built on long-term collaboration and synergy between faculty, students, and administrative staff, as well as strong integration with local, national, and international communities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Faculty is a regional leader in knowledge transfer and established the <strong>Center for Local Economic Development<\/strong> in 2013, which has successfully implemented more than 50 projects and provided advisory services to ministries, cities, and companies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It has also contributed to the development of the <strong>ESTAT regional development index software<\/strong>, used by the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key Initiatives and Networks<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Business Friendly Certification South East Europe (BFC SEE)<\/strong> \u2013 strengthening local government competitiveness <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Membership in the <strong>Public Interest Technology University Network (PIT UN)<\/strong> <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Organization of the annual <strong>Economics of Digital Transformation (EDT) Conference<\/strong> <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Participation in <strong>Horizon, Erasmus, and Interreg projects<\/strong> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Research Focus<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Current research priorities include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Resilience and regenerative economy <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Economics of well-being <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Application of artificial intelligence in education, governance, and business <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Organizational Structure<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The ASPIRE Center operates with a highly decentralized and project-oriented structure, enabling flexibility, innovation, and strong collaboration across research and practice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Znanstveni direktor:<\/strong> <br><a href=\"https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?user=KPMXu2wAAAAJ&amp;hl=en\">Peter Nijkaamp<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Izvr\u0161ne direktorice:<\/strong> <br><a href=\"https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?user=nCnfnMYAAAAJ&amp;hl=en\">Karima Kourtit<\/a><br><a href=\"https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?user=JoIB5ZQAAAAJ&amp;hl=hr\">Petra Adelajda Zaninovi\u0107<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Vanjski partneri:<\/strong> <br><a href=\"https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?user=rVzi368AAAAJ&amp;hl=hr&amp;oi=sra\">Carlos Moreno<\/a> <br><a href=\"https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?user=UF2gBtMAAAAJ&amp;hl=en\">Carlo Ratti<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Assessing and Studying Performance for Innovative Resilience and Excellence ASPIRE stands for striving to achieve a shared goal of high value. Vision The vision of the ASPIRE Center is a knowledge-based future in which resilience and excellence drive positive change in addressing the pressing challenges of the 21st century. We aim for local and regional [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":5910,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5914","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"featured_image_src":null,"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/efri.uniri.hr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5914","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/efri.uniri.hr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/efri.uniri.hr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/efri.uniri.hr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/efri.uniri.hr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5914"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/efri.uniri.hr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5914\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6857,"href":"https:\/\/efri.uniri.hr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5914\/revisions\/6857"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/efri.uniri.hr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/5910"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/efri.uniri.hr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5914"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}