Faculty of Engineering Day celebrated at the Catholic University of Croatia

The Faculty of Engineering at the Catholic University of Croatia celebrated its second Faculty Day on Monday, October 12, 2026, bringing together students, academic staff, employees, representatives of the academic and business communities, and numerous friends of the University. The celebration provided an opportunity to reflect on achievements during the previous academic year, present awards to outstanding students and faculty members, and introduce new forms of cooperation with companies from the business sector.

Representatives of other higher education institutions in technical fields demonstrated their strong support for our Faculty through their attendance: Professor Patrizia Poščić, PhD, Dean of the Faculty of Informatics and Digital Technologies at the University of Rijeka; Professor Ana Perić Hadžić, PhD, Dean of the Faculty of Maritime Studies at the University of Rijeka; Associate Professor Lidija Tepeš Golubić, PhD, Dean of the Zagreb University of Applied Sciences; Associate Professor Marko Gulić, PhD, Vice-Dean for Teaching and Students at the Faculty of Maritime Studies, University of Rijeka; Associate Professor Tomislav Jagušt, PhD, Vice-Dean, representing the Dean of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing at the University of Zagreb; Assistant Professor Bojan Žugec, PhD, Vice-Dean, representing the Dean of the Faculty of Organization and Informatics at the University of Zagreb; Associate Professor Ivan Ivec, PhD, Vice-Dean, representing the Dean of the Faculty of Metallurgy at the University of Zagreb; Assistant Professor Ivan Vidović, PhD, Vice-Dean, representing the Dean of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Information Technology at the University of Osijek; Assistant Professor Dejan Marić, PhD, Vice-Dean for Research, and Assistant Professor Ivan Gelo, PhD, Vice-Dean for Teaching, representing the Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Slavonski Brod; Hrvoje Puljiz, Director of the Croatian Academic and Research Network – CARNET; Ivan Marić, Director of the University Computing Centre (SRCE); and Vjekoslav Bratić, PhD, Director of the Institute of Public Finance.

The celebration began with Holy Mass celebrated by Professor Odilon-Gbènoukpo Singbo, PhD, and concelebrated by the Rector of the Catholic University of Croatia, Professor Željko Tanjić, PhD, Rev. Associate Professor Richard Pavlić, PhD, and Vice-Rector for Quality, Identity and Mission Professor Ante Crnčević, PhD.

In his homily, Professor Singbo reflected on the connection between knowledge, faith and responsibility, highlighting the example of Saint Carlo Acutis, the patron saint of the Faculty of Engineering. “Behind every technical task is a real person, a human face. Their safety and dignity are part of our responsibility from the very moment we decide what we will design and how we will do it,” he said, concluding: “As we celebrate this special day, let us pray that our Faculty, and indeed our entire University, may be a community where knowledge develops alongside wisdom, and creativity goes hand in hand with responsibility towards others.”

The formal academic ceremony began with a prayer led by Professor Singbo, followed by the Croatian national anthem performed by soprano Patricija Žudetić, accompanied on the piano by Lovro Knežević, a Research Assistant at the University Department of Sociology. Alongside members of the university community, the ceremony was attended by representatives of numerous Croatian universities, faculties, research institutions and companies cooperating with the Faculty of Engineering.

Rector Tanjić addressed those gathered, reflecting on the future of higher education in an era of increasingly rapid advances in artificial intelligence. Discussing different perspectives on the future of the labour market, from the importance of knowledge in the humanities to practical skills and neurodiversity, he emphasised that the role of universities in shaping young people would become increasingly important.

“One of the roles of higher education, alongside imparting knowledge and developing skills, will remain, and will become even more important in the future: helping young people grow into the people they aspire to be, not only as professionals but also as human beings,” Rector Tanjić said. He also stressed that future professionals would make decisions affecting not just a small number of people, but humanity as a whole.

The Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Professor Zlatan Car, PhD, presented the Faculty’s results and key achievements during the previous academic year. He particularly highlighted the development of research and teaching infrastructure, including the acquisition of the Vivaldi supercomputer with support from the European Union, as well as new opportunities offered to students and academic staff by advanced robotic equipment, including a humanoid robot and robotic dogs. He emphasised the importance of investing not only in technology but also in people whose knowledge, dedication and research contribute to the Faculty’s development. He thanked the academic staff, associates, students and business partners for their contributions to these achievements.

The ceremony continued with the presentation of six awards to students and faculty members who distinguished themselves through their achievements, quality of work and dedication during the 2025/2026 academic year. The award for outstanding academic achievement in the first year of study was presented to Jakov Šafran, while second-year student Maroje Goga received an award for his active participation in Faculty life and his contribution to promoting the study programme, the Faculty of Engineering and the Catholic University of Croatia.

The Teaching Excellence Award in the category of technical and natural science courses was presented to Associate Professor Ivica Martinjak, PhD, while Professor Odilon-Gbènoukpo Singbo, PhD, received the Teaching Excellence Award in the category of social sciences and humanities courses. Both were recognised as the highest-rated lecturers in their respective course categories based on the results of student evaluations.

Awards for outstanding contributions to the promotion and visibility of the Faculty of Engineering were presented to Assistant Professor Jelena Štifanić, PhD, and Assistant Professor Daniel Štifanić, PhD, particularly in recognition of their efforts to introduce the Faculty’s study programmes to secondary school students.

A special part of the ceremony was dedicated to strengthening cooperation with the business sector, during which four scholarship agreements for students of the Faculty of Engineering were signed. The agreements were signed on behalf of the Catholic University of Croatia by Rector Professor Željko Tanjić, PhD, and Dean Professor Zlatan Car, PhD, and on behalf of the partner companies by Anto Domić, Director of NetCom Ltd., Hrvoje Čekolj, Director of Silicon Master Ltd., Tomislav Nožica, Director of Satom Delta Ltd., and Daniel Milin, Director of Adricom Ltd. These partnerships provide students with additional opportunities for financial support during their studies while strengthening the connection between academic knowledge and the needs of the business sector.

Certificates of appreciation for their cooperation and support in the development of the Faculty of Engineering were presented to NetCom Ltd., represented by its Director Anto Domić, and Satom Delta Ltd., represented by its Director Tomislav Nožica.

The ceremony also featured a demonstration of the Unitree G1 humanoid robot, whose capabilities, including a robotic dance, were showcased by Assistant Professor Daniel Štifanić, PhD. The demonstration gave attendees an insight into some of the advanced technologies used in the Faculty’s teaching and research activities.

The musical programme featured soprano Patricija Žudetić and Lovro Knežević, who performed “Neka cijeli ovaj svijet” from Alfi Kabiljo’s musical Jalta, Jalta. Following Dean Car’s closing remarks, the ceremony concluded with the academic anthem Gaudeamus igitur. Attendees then toured the renovated University campus and the laboratories of the Faculty of Engineering.