Project “OPEN-DIGI-ECONOM” is implemented within the framework of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan 2021–2026 and is financed by European Union funds through the NextGenerationEU instrument.
On December 17, 2025, a formal signing ceremony was held at the Library of the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Zagreb, marking the funding agreement for the institutional research project Access to Open Data and Public Information as a Factor in the Maturity of Digital Economy (OPEN-DIGI-ECONOM), financed with European Union funds.
The agreement was co-signed by the Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business, Professor Sanja Sever Mališ, PhD, and the project leader, Professor Nikola Vlahović, PhD.
As part of the project “Access to Open Data and Public Information as a Factor of Digital Economy Maturity” (OPEN-DIGI-ECON), funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU, research findings on the transparency and information openness of Croatian regional government websites were presented at the 4th International Conference on Business, Economics, Production, and Industrial Engineering (BEPI 2026), held in Sofia from 5 to 7 September 2026.
The paper “How Open Is Open Government? Transparency and Information Openness on Croatian County Websites”, authored by Jasmina Pivar, Tamara Ćurlin and Nikola Vlahović from the Faculty of Economics & Business, University of Zagreb, was presented at the conference. The study covered all 21 Croatian regional government units – 20 counties and the City of Zagreb – and assessed 20 indicators across two dimensions: transparency and information openness.
The findings show that the transparency of Croatian regional government units is considerably more developed than their information openness. The average transparency score was 16.62 out of 20 (83.1%), while information openness reached an average of 12.81 points (64.0%). The difference between the two dimensions was statistically significant (t(20) = 9.38; p < 0.001).
The study also shows that publishing information does not necessarily mean that information is truly open and easily accessible to citizens. The main challenges were identified in the availability of metadata, document searchability, publication of consultation outcomes, and clearly defined conditions for the reuse of information.
The findings therefore highlight the importance of distinguishing between transparency, which primarily concerns the availability of public information, and information openness, which additionally involves its accessibility, searchability, usability, and potential for reuse.
Presenting the research at an international conference contributes to the international dissemination of the OPEN-DIGI-ECON project results and enhances the visibility of research focused on open data, public information, and the digital maturity of the public sector.
As part of the Innovate Split conference, held on 10 and 11 September 2026 at the Technology Park Split, a series of professional events, plenary lectures and MeetUps were organized, providing an opportunity to integrate part of the research activities carried out within the project “Access to Open Data and Public Information as a Factor of Digital Economy Maturity” (OPEN-DIGI-ECONOM).
During the 10th Interdepartmental Meeting, held on 10 September 2026 and bringing together experts from faculties of economics and universities with a focus on the application of information technology in business, members of the project team conducted informal interviews with experts working on topics relevant to the OPEN-DIGI-ECONOM project. The interviews provided up-to-date information on ongoing research into open data in the Republic of Croatia and the wider region, including research whose results are currently being developed or prepared for publication.
As part of the DeSci MeetUp by Web3 Innovation Hub, held on 11 September 2026 under the leadership of Prof. Maja Ćukušić, Department of Business Informatics, Faculty of Economics, Business and Tourism, University of Split, and Prof. Katarina Tomičić-Pupek, Department of Information Systems Development, Faculty of Organization and Informatics, University of Zagreb, a focus group was formed and conducted on the topic of the application of distributed technologies and open data.
The focus group resulted in a substantive discussion and exchange of experiences among participants from both academia and professional practice. The project leader, Prof. Nikola Vlahović, presented the main research activities of the OPEN-DIGI-ECONOM project and highlighted the relationship between open data and the development of the digital economy. Particular emphasis was placed on the potential of distributed technologies, including blockchain, the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence, in the context of the development and reuse of open data.
DeSci MeetUp-a by Web3 Innovation Hub
The project “Access to Open Data and Public Information as a Factor of Digital Economy Maturity” (OPEN-DIGI-ECONOM) is funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU. The participation of the project team in this significant conference, through field research, professional discussions and the focus group, contributed to the preparation of research into current practices in the dissemination and reuse of available open data, as well as to the identification of shortcomings in the processes related to their use and the resulting access to public information.
At the same time, participation in the conference contributed to increasing the visibility of research focused on open data, public information and the digital maturity of the public sector among relevant experts from the Republic of Croatia and the wider region. The contacts established and the exchange of experiences with experts from academia and professional practice represent a valuable contribution to the further development of the project's research activities and to a better understanding of current trends and challenges in the field of open data and the digital economy.