„Innovative minds for smart schools“ or abbreviated „SMART schools“ is the title of 3,2 million KM worth project, for which on Tuesday 30.05.2017 the contract has been signed in the conference room of the City Hall in Slavonski Brod. The Lead Beneficiary is the Centre for Development and Support (CRP) with the seat in Tuzla (BiH), and other partners are: Tuzla Canton (BiH), Green Action with the seat in Zagreb (CRO), Brod-Posavina County (CRO), and Brod environmental association from Slavonski Brod (CRO).

The contract signing ceremony was attended by Marko Nišandžić CRP programme director and project manager, Stella Arneri acting director of the Regional Development Agency of the Republic of Croatia, Salmir Avdibašić, assistant minister for development of Tuzla Canton, Gabrijela Žalac the minister at Ministry of regional development and European Union Funds of the RC, Danijel Marušić prime minister of Brod-Posavina County and others.

In 27 months of the project implementation period, the investments shall be made into energy reconstruction of 7 primary and high schools in the project area (Brod-Posavina Country an Tuzla Canton), including: in Brod-Posavina County: (1) primary school Sibinj; in Tuzla Canton: (2) primary school „Ivan Goran Kovačić” (Gradačac municipality), (3) Second primary school Srebrenik (Srebrenik municipality), (4) primary school Gornja Tuzla (Tuzla city), (5) primary school Sapna (Sapna municipality), (6) primary school Omazići (Banovići municipality) and (7) Mixed High School Kladanj (Kladanj municipality). Additional project activities include crossborder 4-month competition of primary and high school in the project area about energy saving  (utilizing non-investment methods, e.g. behavioural change), where each of two winning schools (one from BPC and another from TC) shall be awarded with installed photovoltaic solar system and fully equipped „solar laboratory“ (to be produced, under the mentorship of the experts from the Centre for Development and Support and Green Action, by the students and teachers of the winning schools). At the same time, large scale crossborder competition of primary and secondary school students in IT/technical renewable-energy technologies and solutions will be organized in the project area, where 20 most successful innovators from Brod-Posavina Country and Tuzla Canton will have the opportunity to produce / technically improve their innovations at 7-day Youth Innovators Camp to be held in Brod-Posavina County.

„I am honoured  to sign today a contract for this valuable project, which is scored as the best of all received applications. I wish to thank for cooperation to all our project partners. The project is particularly important because it is a crossborder action and will involve numerous stakeholders during the implementation period“ said Marko Nišandžić.

„It is my particular honour to sign this contract, because it is a large-scale project addressing environment through different types of activities, together with our partners from Tuzla. The projects are about energy reconstruction of schools, through various actions promoting healthy living and raising the environmental awareness“, said Danijel Marušić, prime minister.

„The project is particularly interesting because it includes the activities promoting energy efficiency and environment protection, and it also has a competitive character. The project will involve over 29.000 students, teachers and school directors in the project area“ – said Salmir Avdibašić, assistant minister for development of Tuzla Canton.

„I am glad we can sign this valuable contract within the crossborder programme Croatia – Bosnia and Herzegovina – Monte Negro, which is a three-lateral programme of the European three-lateral cooperation managed  by our Development Agency. This project was THE 1^st ranked project proposal within the Call and I am honoured to be here, particularly since the topic is related to our children, which makes me particularly happy and that will bring some new innovative situations for schools and energy reconstruction of schools that everyone is talking about. This is also one of the contributions to the project “Slavonija, Baranja and Srijem”, added the minister Gabrijela Žalac.

The project is implemented within Interreg IPA Cross-border Cooperation Programme Croatia – Bosnia and Herzegovina – Montenegro 2014 – 2020.