As Poslovni Dnevnik/Lucija Spiljak writes, after 2,000 registered participants, more than 160 schools from all over the Republic of Croatia and 170 developed innovative projects in 2021, the Croatian digital student incubator continues – an initiative of the Institute for Innovation, Skolska knjiga (School book) and the Science Centre of Excellence for School Efficiency and Management. It is, as stated, a network project which works to further develop the creative and entrepreneurial potential of primary and secondary school students in order to, according to the organisers, “continuously create new generations of creatives and innovators of the future.”
Students of the upper grades of primary school and secondary school from all over the country can participate in the Croatian Digital Student Incubator, and they can apply until February the 14th, 2022 on the project website. The organisers say that the goal of the project is to encourage students to connect and exchange interesting ideas and topics, and to practice more abstract and critical thinking.
Three teams with the most innovative projects have the opportunity to win awards in the category of primary and secondary schools, and a special award “Mentor innovator” will be awarded to teachers and professors who have contributed to the creativity of their school students. Primary and secondary schools that achieve the most notable results among all of the teams which have successfully completed the Croatian Digital Student Incubator will win the title of “School for Innovation” – the award for the most innovative primary and secondary school in Croatia.
An educational programme with examples from Croatia
“The Croatian digital student incubator is a great opportunity for students to engage in things that interest and fulfill them and to learn how to create something concrete, tangible and valuable from their own ideas. Our project aims to build a community of children who want to further develop themselves and their potential and become true young geniuses and innovators. In order to succeed in that, you need to constantly train your brain, ask yourself questions and adopt new knowledge, skills and perspectives, and that is exactly what we’re doing with the Croatian digital student incubator,” explained project manager Filip Vrhovnik.
The students will first participate in an educational programme in which they will develop the knowledge and skills of the future with their professors and experts. Answers to the question of how creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship work in practice will come from these entrepreneurs themselves. The young and highly impressive Albert Gajsak is just one ”proof” of this, as his own path to successful entrepreneurship began when it was still at school.
“In this project, young people can hear the advice and recommendations of some of the best experts and entrepreneurs in the country who can encourage them to further grow and develop their own ideas. We need to teach young people the most about personal leadership and that they can dream and imagine whatever they want and take responsibility for their lives and not simply look for excuses, but opportunities. Those who dream big dreams usually make them come true. With this project, we want to give young people new hope that is stronger than the fears instilled in us by many as we grew up and make entrepreneurs the leaders of our society,” stated entrepreneur Ognjen Bagatin, one of the educators in the project.
For more, check out Made in Croatia.
