The International Conference Croatian-Bavarian Higher Education Day was held in Regensburg, June 5 – 6, 2025, organised by the University of Regensburg and BAYHOST (Bavarian Academic Centre for Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe). The event aimed to strengthen bilateral academic cooperation between higher education institutions from Croatia and Bavaria, particularly in the areas of digital transformation, mobility, research collaboration, and institutional networking.
Representing the Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb, the conference was attended by the Vice Dean for Finance and Business Affairs, Assoc. Prof. Mario Krešić, PhD, and Martina Batistić, pol. sci., univ. spec., International Relations Officer.
Meeting with Professor Tischbirek
Prior to the conference, the delegation from the Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb held a working meeting with Professor Dr. Alexander Tischbirek at the Faculty of Law, University of Regensburg. Professor Tischbirek is a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Public Law, with research specialization in administrative law, digitalization, media law, and e-government.
The meeting focused on student and staff mobility platforms and explored possibilities for further collaboration. Vice Dean Krešić exchanged institutional experiences regarding legal education, course structure, and current research initiatives. Particular attention was given to potential research collaboration in Professor Tischbirek’s areas of expertise, with an emphasis on connecting with colleagues from the University of Zagreb, especially those affiliated with the chairs of administrative law, administrative sciences, and European public law.
Thematic Sessions and Exchange of Experience
The conference opened with a plenary session featuring addresses by Prof. Dr. Udo Hebel, President of the University of Regensburg and representative of BAYHOST, Prof. Jurica Pavičić, Vice-Rector for International Relations of the University of Zagreb, and Mr. Vladimir Duvnjak, Consul General of the Republic of Croatia in Munich.
The programme continued with parallel thematic sessions focused on various forms of cooperation, including artificial intelligence, digital transformation, education, health, robotics, and the humanities and social sciences. Participants presented specific project proposals and shared examples of good practice from existing partnerships, such as the strategic collaboration between the Universities of Zagreb and Regensburg, joint summer schools, research tandems, and mobility programmes.
Representatives of the Faculty of Law actively participated in the sessions of international offices, sharing experience on Erasmus+ short-term PhD mobilities, the implementation of Blended Intensive Programmes (BIP), and human resources management in an international academic context.
Participants
The conference brought together representatives of more than 30 institutions from Croatia and Bavaria, including university rectors and vice-rectors, heads of international offices, faculty members, researchers, and representatives of national research and funding agencies (BayFOR, DAAD). The University of Zagreb was particularly recognised as the most active Croatian partner in the Bavarian academic space, with more than ten active partnerships.
Conclusion
The Croatian-Bavarian Higher Education Day 2025 demonstrated a high level of engagement and readiness for tangible partnerships between Croatian and Bavarian higher education institutions. Building on the Faculty of Law’s existing collaboration with the University of Regensburg—through both the Erasmus+ programme and the university project German-Croatian Tandem for Early Career Researchers (Deutsch-Kroatisches Tandem für Nachwuchswissenschaftler *innen)—the foundations for future institutional and research collaboration have been further strengthened. Through the participation in this event, the Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb, has contributed to this dynamic exchange and opened new opportunities for international visibility and academic partnerships.
