On 24 August 2017, the Mayor of Rijeka, Vojko Obersnel, in Zagreb, at the premises of the Government, with the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia and the Minister of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Crafts, Martina Dalić, and the Director of the Central Finance and Contracting Agency, Tomislav Petricem, signed a Grant Agreement of HRK 19.3 million from the European Regional Development Fund to the City of Rijeka, for the realization of the Technological Educational Entrepreneurial Incubator in the existing hall in Milutin Barača Street.
This is a project called Reconstruction and conversion of the existing Hall 14 into a Technological and Educational Entrepreneurial Incubator ‘Torpedo Production Park’, for which the City of Rijeka, in cooperation with the Rijeka Development Agency Porin d.o.o., has been granted HRK 19.3 million in grants from EU funds.
The project holder is the City of Rijeka, and the partner is the Rijeka Development Agency Porin d.o.o.
In addition to the applicants and partners, the project associates include the Juraj Dobrila University of Pula, the Technology Transfer Office of the University of Rijeka, the Centre for Materials Research of the Istrian County METRIS and the STEP RI Science and Technology Park of the University of Rijeka.
The Ministry of the Economy, Entrepreneurship and Crafts, as an intermediate body, carried out the procedure for allocating funds from EU funds through the public call ‘Development of business infrastructure’ and approved the financing of a project in which an incubator for new technologies with a thematic focus on additive technologies will be implemented.
Mayor Obersnel expressed his satisfaction with the fact that he is again signing a contract on the basis of which the City of Rijeka will be awarded EU grants, which this time has a special value because it will enable the realization of entrepreneurial infrastructure that will help entrepreneurs in their business.
The City of Rijeka, as the project applicant, was awarded HRK 19,300.747.06, i.e. as much as 97.22% the necessary funds for the realization of this project.
The obtained funds will reconstruct the existing industrial hall 14 with ground floor and gallery of 1,727 square meters, in which will be arranged 14 workshops and 2 offices for entrepreneurs, incubation teh-lab that will function as a common coworking space for workshop works and equipment accommodation, conference hall and meeting room, while the central part of the hall will also be an exhibition space. The value of the works was estimated at HRK 7.97 million, while the most valuable part of the project is the purchase of equipment in the amount of HRK 13.25 million. There will be four 3D printers: 3D printer FDM (plastic), 3SD printer for sand, 3D printer DMLS (metal) large volume and 3D printer DMLS (metal) small volume, and scanner.
Also, the incubator will be equipped with modern technology based on additive technologies, which will enable small and medium-sized entrepreneurs from the Rijeka area to have easier access to high-quality services and improve their entrepreneurial results and skills.
Also, one of the goals of the project is the transfer of knowledge through the establishment of new education programs.
The former Hall 14 is owned by the City of Rijeka, Čistoća d.o.o. and Vodovod i kanalizacija d.o.o.
