Revolutionising hydrogen education starts with a bold action. University of Rijeka (UNIRI) is at the forefront of this transformation, leading the launch of the first micro-credential programme and a Macro-Regional Competence Centre for Hydrogen Research. Hrvoje Marušić, Project Operations Manager, is driving these efforts to bridge critical skill gaps and prepare a new generation of hydrogen professionals. As a partner in the NAHV project, UNIRI is shaping the future of clean energy by integrating cutting-edge research, industry collaboration, and innovative learning pathways.
Company Overview
Organisation Name: University of Rijeka (UNIRI)
Headquarters: Trg braće Mažuranića 10, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
Industry / activity: Public academic organisation / Research and Education
Representative: prof. Snježana Prijić-Samaržija, Ph.D., Rector
Interviewee: Hrvoje Marušić, Project Operations Manager
What is your Unique Value Proposition?
University of Rijeka (UNIRI) believes that knowledge is the foundation of any transition, including the shift to a hydrogen-based economy. As a NAHV partner, UNIRI strengthens the hydrogen workforce by collaborating with industry, public authorities, and civil society.
With a holistic and community-driven approach, UNIRI goes beyond education—it fosters a culture of sustainable hydrogen solutions, aligning with the European Green Deal and Croatia’s National Hydrogen Strategy. Through its Faculty of Engineering and a strong network of stakeholders, UNIRI applies best practices in sustainable development to drive meaningful impact.
Your organisation’s role in the project:
University of Rijeka (UNIRI), in collaboration with the universities of Trieste and Ljubljana, leads a task focused on bridging research and industry skill gaps in the hydrogen sector (Task 7.3 of the NAHV). This includes developing educational programmes, training platforms, and tools tailored to industry needs.
A major milestone is the launch of the first micro-credential programme: Decarbonisation and Hydrogen Energy, designed to upskill professionals through online courses, workshops, and applied challenges. To align training with market demands, a detailed analysis has identified key emerging roles such as hydrogen refuelling station operators and safety specialists.
UNIRI’s Faculty of Engineering (RITEH) plays a crucial role in implementing these programmes while collaborating with public authorities to integrate hydrogen into regional decarbonisation strategies. Furthermore, the university is going to establish the Macro-Regional Competence Centre for Hydrogen Research and Education, ensuring long-term support for workforce development and innovation in the sector.
Interview
What is your vision of the use of renewable hydrogen and the hydrogen economy as a whole?
Hydrogen’s versatility allows a very broad spectrum of possibilities, which is especially highlighted in areas such as the North Adriatic, characterized by very diversified and dynamic economies, but at the same time diversified and sensitive natural ecosystems. Hydrogen can help decarbonise hard-to-abate sectors like transport and the processing industry, while at the same time enhancing energy resilience and the protection of our environment and environment-dependent economic activities such as tourism.
What are the main driving forces for the adoption of renewable hydrogen, and what are the major challenges for the ecosystem to successfully evolve?
The key drivers for a hydrogen-based transition in the North Adriatic include the region’s vulnerability to climate impacts, particularly in coastal and alpine areas, and the economic opportunities tied to early adoption of hydrogen technologies, especially in sectors like tourism.
However, challenges persist, such as the lack of necessary skills and knowledge, alongside high R&D and implementation costs that demand economies of scale. Overcoming these barriers requires unwavering cross-border and cross-sector collaboration throughout the hydrogen value chain.
In other words, the development of a cross-border hydrogen-based ecosystem, as envisaged by NAHV, makes perfect sense and represents the only actionable way ahead.
Specifically, what are the major challenges for your organisation when it comes to renewable hydrogen?
The major challenges for UNIRI in relation to hydrogen arise from the current research and educational gap within our own organisation, but also from the low awareness of future students, researchers, as well as institutional and industrial partners in relation to the significance of hydrogen within our transition towards sustainable development models. Thankfully, the situation in this respect is rapidly changing, also due to UNIRI’s participation in projects such as NAHV.
What are your competencies related to renewable hydrogen that you would like to strengthen and share within the NAHV ecosystem?
The transition to hydrogen isn’t just about technology—it’s about integration. We cannot succeed without a comprehensive inter-sectoral approach; e.g., hydrogen-based innovative solutions in transport cannot be applied in the real world without proper regulation, nor can infrastructure be built without adequate spatial planning.
Therefore, a fine but firm thread needs to be interwoven between research and industry, but not less importantly, also between strategic planning, spatial planning, and regulatory and legislative processes.
My personal competencies and professional expertise lie exactly in this field, but they require an upgrade, a deeper understanding of hydrogen technologies, as well as the requirements and risks related to their application in various economic sectors.
Following this logic, although the initial focus will be on the immediate needs of the industry, especially sectors such as maritime transport and tourism, UNIRI will gradually broaden its programs to other sectors. The first programs will probably include professional profiles related to hydrogen-powered vessels or vehicles, port infrastructure, hydrogen-based power-generating systems, applications for heating, cooling, and electricity generation in hospitality venues, etc. In the future, given the significant presence of processing industry and strategic infrastructure, additional programs will be developed, including cross-sectoral applications such as energy storage, power systems for backup and off-grid solutions, etc.
What is your role in the NAHV, and what will be your main contribution to the objectives of the initiative?
The role of UNIRI is to listen carefully to the industry needs and provide the necessary educational and research support, but also to be at the forefront of policy and strategic planning efforts, alongside the public authorities responsible for developing and implementing sustainable development models.
My personal role within NAHV as a member of the UNIRI team is to maintain a broad perspective and overview of the partners activities, aiming to enhance synergies within the consortium but also to help create new ones with partners outside the current partnership.
What are your long-term expectations from your involvement in the NAHV?
I see the NAHV project as a catalyst of the hydrogen transition in our region and a platform to build a lasting legacy in the form of skilled professionals, cutting-edge research, and strong cross-border collaborations.
My expectations from the work within NAHV are to build my knowledge and increase my capacity to contribute to the development of the North Adriatic hydrogen ecosystem and perhaps to an even greater integration of hydrogen-based solutions in UNIRI’s educational and research programs and day-to-day operations.
How would you like to contribute to the development of the entire ecosystem in the long run?
My personal competencies lie more in the fields of policy, strategic planning and intersectoral coordination than in specific technical and research fields. Therefore, my future contribution to the development of the NAHV ecosystem could perhaps be best realized through an operative role in the ecosystem’s coordination or management structures, as a logical evolution of my previous professional roles and current position in the project.
What would you suggest to other protagonists who are interested in joining the initiative?
Join us as soon as possible! The hydrogen transition is not just a technological shift but potentially a catalyst of societal transformation. The world is in dire need of skilled and good-willed people, working relentlessly on sustainable solutions.