Integrated Development of the City of Biograd

The integrated development of the City of Biograd included numerous projects worth a total of around 10 million euros, including the construction of the Business Incubator, the BioSfera Center for Sustainable Active Tourism, the Tourist Information Center, and the Recycling Yard.

Integrirani razvoj Grada Biograda

Partnership for sustainable development of the City of Biograd

Following the success of projects in Split and Šibenik, the City of Biograd reached out to us for support in implementing a program of integrated sustainable development. The collaboration began with mapping needs, potentials, resources, development, and funding opportunities through available EU and other external funding sources.

A stakeholder cluster was soon established to prepare and implement projects and programs systematically. Alongside Eupolis Group and the Cluster for Eco-Social Innovation and Development CEDRA Split, participants included the Public Institution for the Vransko Lake Nature Park, the Bošana Utility Company, the Biograd Business Incubator, the Laura Local Action Group, the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service, neighboring local government units (Municipalities of Pakoštane, Pašman, Tkon, and Sv. Filip i Jakov), five other institutions managing protected natural areas (Public Institutions for Kornati National Park, Krka National Park, Paklenica National Park, Telašćica Nature Park, and Velebit Nature Park), the Biograd Tourist Board, and many others.

A series of development projects with a total value of approximately €10 million were launched through strategic collaboration. Infrastructure was developed for the Biograd Business Incubator, the BioSfera Biograd Center for Sustainable Active Tourism, a Recycling Yard, and the Biograd Tourist Information Center.

The Biograd Business Incubator project enabled the construction, equipping, establishment, and operation of one of the most successful business incubators in the Adriatic region of Croatia. It has become a hub for numerous companies and a support system for family farms.

The project built business infrastructure over three floors, covering an area of 2,403.36 m², with nine production halls and 17 offices for 32 companies. Additionally, the project established entrepreneurial support services for the growth and development of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises. The project applicant was the City of Biograd na Moru, with partners including the Biograd Business Incubator, the BIOS Business Incubator from Osijek, and CEDRA Split d.o.o. The total project value was approximately €5.1 million and was funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Operational Program Competitiveness and Cohesion.

You can find more about this project at the link https://www.poduzetnicki-inkubator-biograd.hr/ .

The Biograd Business Incubator is an integrated development project for the city and its broader surrounding region, implemented with the expert support of Eupolis Group and the CEDRA Split cluster

Center for sustainable active tourism BioSfera Biograd: Synergy of nature and sustainable development

Another valuable project in the City of Biograd involved restoring an abandoned and dilapidated building of the old elementary school in the city centre. Through a needs and opportunities analysis, Eupolis Group, in collaboration with the local government and project partners led by the Public Institution Vransko Lake Nature Park, designed the project “Center for Sustainable Active Tourism BioSfera Biograd.”

The project was led by the Public Institution Vransko Lake Nature Park, with partners including the City of Biograd na Moru, the CEDRA Split Cluster for Eco-Social Innovation and Development, and the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service (HGSS).

The project was funded through the Operational Programme Competitiveness and Cohesion 2014-2020, with a total value of approximately €3 million. It was implemented from 2018-2022.

Project Goals:

  • To contribute to the sustainable use of natural heritage destinations within national and nature parks through sustainable active tourism based on natural heritage.
  • To enhance the attractiveness and educational capacity of both existing and new visitor infrastructure and content in protected natural areas, particularly in underutilised parts of national and nature parks.
  • To support the sustainable development of local communities and their economies by utilizing and activating the potential of the natural heritage in national and nature parks.

 

The project developed and promoted active tourism products in three national parks and three nature parks across three counties in the Adriatic region of Croatia. These activities include hiking, kayaking, bird watching, fishing, climbing, cycling tourism, diving, sailing, and many others. Additionally, the project employed modern virtual and augmented reality technologies to present and educate about protected natural heritage sites.

You can find more about this project on the project website and in this video material .

The Center for Sustainable Active Tourism BioSfera Biograd is focused on developing sustainable, value-added tourism in synergy with other sectors (sports, culture, education, environmental protection, etc.).

Biograd Tourist Information Center: New standards in visitor infrastructure

Additionally, the Eupolis Group supported the renovation, arrangement, and equipping of another tourist visitor infrastructure facility in the City of Biograd na Moru. This involved the establishment of the Biograd Tourist Information Center, valued at approximately €500,000.

The funds were secured from the European Regional Development Fund and the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund as part of the Operational Programme “Competitiveness and Cohesion” under the Call for Proposals “Promoting the Sustainable Use of Natural Heritage in National and Nature Parks.”

The Biograd Tourist Information Center is another project by the City of Biograd, realized in collaboration with the Public Institution Vransko Lake Nature Park.

Biograd Recycling Yard: The Foundation of Sustainable Waste Management

Finally, the Eupolis Group led the preparation and application, secured co-financing, and implemented the Biograd na Moru Recycling Yard project. The project included developing the recycling yard and educational and promotional activities on sustainable circular management and separate waste collection. The project, funded by the European Regional Development Fund with a total value of €700,000, was led by the city Utility Company Bošana.

The establishment of the Biograd na Moru Recycling Yard has created the foundation for a sustainable waste management system.

See our other projects too:

EuPolis Split was our first major investment project in spatial development and public-private partnership. It represented the first experiment in integrated urban development based on the principles of wise spaces.

In the late 1990s, following the end of the Croatian War of Independence, the city of Split became a “case city” within Croatia and broader European contexts due to the high rate of hard drug abuse among its youngest population. Experts, politicians, parents, educators, media, and the public were deeply concerned.

After its renovation and opening in 2014, the fortress became a prestigious stage for cultural events and an example of successful regeneration of cultural heritage with the use of EU funds.