The place and operation of independent institutes

3. The place and operation of independent institutes

In the natural science field, there are four institutes in Croatia that have played a major role in the creation of new disciplines, bringing together researchers using large specialized instruments and filling the gaps in the structure of the universities. These institutes are the following:

The Ruđer Bošković Institute has played a key role in the development of modern, especially nuclear, physics, chemistry and biology, biomedicine and molecular biology, and environmental science, including complex studies of the Adriatic Sea.

The Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Medicine is the central institution for medical ecology in the broadest sense: human toxicology and heavy-metal physiology, air pollution studies, and the multidisciplinary approach to radiation prevention and (eco)toxicological studies in the environment.

The Institute of Physics (formerly belonging to the University of Zagreb) is the leading institution for the study of solid-state physics and material science, hosting many sophisticated pieces of equipment and instruments (for ultra-high vacuum spectroscopy and high-resolution electronic microscopy, etc.).

The Institute for Oceanographic and Fishery Studies in Split, with a detached research unit in Dubrovnik, is the central research institution for biology, technology and economics of fisheries.

The following examples depict the situation in social sciences:

In economic sciences, the Economic Institute in Zagreb has been involved in the development of different concepts of modern economic thought – from socialist and “negotiated” economics to transitional developments, modern capital flows, models of transformation of property rights (economic transition). Ecological economics and environmental economics are only just beginning to emerge as viable disciplines.

With its body of economists, philosophers, sociologists, political scientists and biotechnologists, the Institute for International Relations (IMO) has been a leading force in social, political, and cultural studies and research, as well as the study of Croatia’s foreign policy in relation to Europe and the rest of the world. As an important research centre, the Institute has supplied a number of important diplomatic officials to represent the Republic of Croatia abroad.

The Zagreb Institute for Social Research has been investigating the sociological characteristics of Croatian society, covering also research and development. Similar areas are covered by the Ivo Pilar Institute, also engaged in applied social research and opinion polling.

In the field of culture, the Institute for Ethnology and Folklore Studies has done much to present Croatia’s cultural heritage to the public and to situate it within the world cultural heritage. The Institute covers a number of areas which the university has been unable to explore.

For the purposes of the present analysis of the work of public institutes, we have selected four such institutes as a representative sample and analysed them in terms of their disciplinary structure and mode of presentation of the research results:

1. The Ruđer Bošković Institute, as an example of a large, multidisciplinary institution (about 460 researchers) in the natural science field.

2. The Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Medicine, as an example of a medium-sized, multidisciplinary research organization (with about 150 researchers) in the fields of medical toxicology, eco-toxicology and medical ecology.

3. The Institute for International Relations, as a small, elite, multidisciplinary centre (with about 25 researchers), engaged in political, scientific and cultural analyses of the conditions and mechanisms of Croatia’s integration and role in Europe, the European Union, and in the world political and economic trends.

4. The Institute of Economics, as a small institution (with about 30 researchers), is an example of a social science institution (in economics) serving as a source of ideas on Croatia’s economic orientation.

The purpose of the present analysis is to show the extent to which such public institutes are incorporated into Croatian science, and the ways that they fulfil their tasks and play their role in society. It is shown that the role of independent institutes in Croatian science cannot be ignored and that without them, despite the efforts of its universities, Croatia would be lagging even more behind world and European trends in science than is the case now. The research work carried out by independent institutes cannot, and should not, be a substitute for the present inappropriate organizational and personnel structure of the faculties and universities (Ersatzfakultät syndrome), nor can it be the reason for the preservation of the existing structures and relationships. Here lies the root of the major problem of public institutes and of Croatian science in general.