Three Croatian faculties have been awarded eur 0.6 million of european funding for wind turbine research project

Over the next two years, more than 20 scientists from three Croatian faculties in conjunction with professionals from KONČAR-Electrical Engineering Institute will work on a EUR 0.6 million EU project – the development of an advanced wind turbine control system

Scientists from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture at the University of Zagreb, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing at the University of Zagreb and the Faculty of Civil Engineering at the University of Rijeka have been awarded funding of about EUR 0.6 millionfrom the EU IPA III C programme to increase the competence of the Croatian HEIs (Higher Education Institution) and industry in the areas of structural integrity, monitoring and the control of dynamically loaded engineering structures. The objective of the project is to establish the centre of excellence for structural health analysis and to establish cooperation between the involved HEIs and industry for mutual benefit, with a significant involvement of students. By achieving the stated objective, the final beneficiaries, such as future students, community and national economy in general, will be supported, since knowledge growth and the increased competence of students and engineers will lead to the overall enhancement of economy and society.

In the scope of the project named Centre of Excellence for Structural Health, the knowledge and expertise of four interdisciplinary research groups will be combined, including three partners from two Universities and one associate coming from the business sector (KONČAR-Electrical Engineering Institute, Inc.). During the project, extensive research on the KONČAR-Wind Turbine of 2.5 MW will be conducted in order to develop an advanced wind turbine control system. The allocated EU funds will be used not only for procuring equipment and salaries for four newly employed young researchers, but also for the education of scientists, students and professionals from business sector through holding seminars, workshops and conferences. New partners from the industry and the international scientific community, interested in the collaboration in research and development or in international scientific projects, will be attracted.

Project
Name	Centre of Excellence for Structural Health (CEEStructHealth)
Value	692.622,77 EUR
Beneficiary	Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture at the University of Zagreb
Responsible body	Ministry of Science, Education and Sports
Conducts	Central Finance and Contracting Agency
Location	Croatia
Objectives	To establish the university-business cooperation by founding the Centre of Excellence for Structural Health. To build up the Centre’s capacities for fatigue analysis, dynamic load control, control systems and online measurement, achieved by developing the structural health monitoring system (SHMS) for wind turbines. To increase the experience of the students during their education, which will be accomplished by increasing the mobility of the students from HEIs to industry and to further improve the competitions of professionals from the industry. To increase the recognisability of the Centre as well as its potential for further cooperation in R+D in the collaboration with industry and in scientific research.
Expected results	The establishment of the CEEStructHealth. The pool of expertise for the research and testing in the area of structural health analysis of wind turbines. The development of mechanisms for the knowledge sharing between the involved HEIs and the industry. The increased local, national, and international visibility of the Centre.
Main activities	Upgrading the research infrastructure. Developing and implementing advanced control algorithm for wind turbine that preserves the structural integrity in close cooperation with Croatian industry. Increasing the knowledge and skills of students from HEIs and the professionals from business sector through the educational activities. Boosting national and international visibility of the Centre.
Final beneficiaries	Future students. Community. National economy.
Prof. dr. sc. Zdenko Tonković, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Arhitecture, Ivana Lučića 5, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia Tel.:01 6168 450; Fax: 01 6168 187; E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.