Organization board

Aleksandra Uzelac

Dr. Aleksandra Uzelac is Head of the Culture and Communication Department and a Senior Research Associate at IRMO (http://www.irmo.hr). She holds a PhD (2003) in information science from the University of Zagreb and has over 20 years of professional experience in the area of cultural research related to issues of digital culture and cultural policies. Her research interests focus on the impact of information and communication technology on cultural issues, virtual networks and portals, digitization of culture, organization of knowledge in the cultural field, issues of public domain and cultural heritage, cultural policy and cultural cooperation issues. She has been a member of various cultural networks and expert groups that focus their activities in the field of cultural policies or digital culture, bringing into the policy mainstream issues related to the new context digital culture has brought to the cultural sector and cultural policies. Dr. Uzelac has provided her research expertise in the form of research studies and issue papers for the Council of Europe, the European Commission and European Parliament. She coordinated a group of experts providing cultural policy related expertise to European parliament and has participated in (and coordinated IRMO team) several EU funded projects where she contributed her research expertise.

Jaka Primorac

Dr. Jaka Primorac is a Research Associate at the Department for Culture and Communication at IRMO, Zagreb, Croatia. Dr. Primorac holds a Ph.D. (2010) in Sociology from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, Croatia. Her research interests intersect the fields of cultural and creative industries, cultural and creative labour, media and cultural policy, digital culture and qualitative research methods. She collaborated on a number of research projects in Croatia and abroad (e.g. Seventh framework programme, Culture, COST, European Parliament, World Bank, etc). In 2005 she was the winner of Cultural Policy Research Award (CPRA) for her research project on the position of cultural workers in the creative industries of SEE. Since 2008 she is co-author of the Croatian country profile for COMPENDIUM of Cultural Policies and Trends in Europe, project of Council of Europe and ERICarts Institute. Since 2015 she is a member of Presidency of Croatian Sociological Association and a member of editorial board of Sociological Review/Revija za sociologiju.

Višnja Samardžija

Dr. Višnja Samardžija is a Scientific Advisor, Assistant Professor, with PhD in economics. Professional experience as researcher, project manager, lecturer on European studies at postgraduate and doctoral programs. Analytical skills, experience in coordination of multi-sector research, socio-economic analyses, regulatory impact assessment, knowledge on public policies. Has both academic experience and skills in public administration service. Actively involved in international cooperation as member of TEPSA Board – Trans European Policy Studies Association, Brussels. Currently academic coordinator of the IRMO Jean Monnet Support for Institution project. Has coordinated EU funded projects (TEMPUS, Phare) and was member of the team of FP7, Erasmus+, FP6 projects. Participated on numerous conferences, published articles in journals and books. Area of expertise: Europe 2020, internal market (including digital market), EU relations with Croatia, EU enlargement, civil security, communication with citizens.

Senada Šelo Šabić

Dr. Senada Šelo Šabić is an Expert in European Union affairs and foreign policy with geographical focus on Southeast Europe and Turkey. An important thematic area of Senada’s research interest is migration and challenges of integrating migrants in host societies. Culture is extremely important in facilitating the enabling environment for implementing various EU and national policies, in the case of the current migration crisis even more pronounced. Expert knowledge of broader political and security situation in Croatia and Europe will contribute to the debate on cultural policies by referring to current European and Croatian political discourses. As the editor-in-chief of the Croatian International Relations Review Senada will contribute to the process of paper selection, revision, and ultimate publication.

Ana Žuvela

Ana Žuvela is a Researcher at the Institute for Development and International Relations. Originally a concert pianist, Ana holds a Master of Arts in Cultural Policy and Arts Management from the University College Dublin and is a PhD candidate at the University of Zagreb. She has experience in cultural production, arts management, cultural research and advocacy from working for local government bodies, non-governmental cultural organizations and cultural institutions. Her research interests include development of cultural policies and strategies, local cultural development and decentralization of cultural policy as well as new models of cultural governance. Ana Zuvela served as the Co-Chair of the LabforCulture Steering Committee, as Advisor for Cultural Affairs in the City of Dubrovnik and is a Board member of independent organizations Cuter and Art Workshop Lazareti as well as a member of European Cultural Parliament.

Paško Bilić

Dr. Paško Bilić is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department for Culture and Communication, Institute for Development and International Relations (IRMO) in Zagreb, Croatia. He obtained his PhD in sociology in 2013 from the University of Zagreb. Between September 2011 and August 2012, he was a Doctoral Research Fellow at the University of Alberta, Canada. His primary research and teaching fields are media sociology and communication studies. More specifically, he is interested in complex entanglements of social relations mediated through digital technologies, public policies and markets. Topics addressed include socio-cultural and political-economic contexts of digital media; regulatory cultures; media production, particularly in Central-Eastern Europe; qualitative and mixed research methods. He is the local coordinator of the Croatian team conducting implementation of the Media Pluralism Monitor, coordinated by the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence, Italy. Previously, he was Management Committee member of the COST action “Dynamics of Virtual Work” and deputy principal investigator of a project funded by the Croatian Science Foundation titled “Networks of Public Communication in Croatia: Mediatization of the Public Sphere and the Challenges of New Media (NETCOMM).” He is board member of the European Sociological Association’s Research Network 18: Sociology of Media and Communications Research. His work is published in journals such as New Media & Society, European Journal of Communication, Big Data & Society, and Interactions: Studies in Communication and Culture.

Daniela Angelina Jelinčić

Dr. Daniela Angelina Jelinčić is a research adviser at the Institute for Development and International Relations (IRMO) in Zagreb. She holds a Ph.D. in ethnology from the University of Zagreb and her specific interests are in cultural tourism, cultural/creative industries, cultural policy, creativity and social innovations. Also, she gives lectures on cultural tourism, economy of culture, cultural heritage management, social innovations at the University of Dubrovnik, University of Applied Sciences VERN and at the Edward Bernays First College of Communication Management in Zagreb, and at the UNESCO Chair for Cultural Heritage Management and Sustainable Development, Institute for Social and European Studies (ISES) in Köszeg, Hungary. She is the author of several scientific books (ABC of Cultural Tourism; Culture in a Shop Window; Culture, Tourism, Interculturalism), national/international studies as well as of several national/local strategic documents, and is the Council of Europe expert for cultural tourism.

Matea Senkić

Research Assistant at the Department for Culture and Communication at IRMO, Zagreb, Croatia. Matea holds a Master Degree in Sociology (2014) from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, Croatia. Her research interests include cultural diversity, intercultural dialogue and cooperation, cultural diplomacy, cultural tourism, activism and civil society, and strategic planning in culture and tourism. She attended numerous international conferences, seminars and trainings in Croatia and abroad in the fields of cultural diplomacy, cultural policies, culture management, cultural tourism, EU funds and entrepreneurship (e.g. The Professional Development Certificate Program in International Relations & Cultural Diplomacy, Institute for Cultural Diplomacy, Berlin, Germany; Unicult2020International Arts & Culture Management and Policy Programme, Rijeka, Croatia). Since 2015. is a member and editor of Culturelink Network.

Barbara Lovrinić

Barbara Lovrinić holds a Master Degree in French language and literature and Museology and Heritage Management (2013) from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, Croatia. She gained her first experience working as a student at the Canadian Embassy in Zagreb, shortly after which in January 2013, she became part of the Croatian pre-accession translation team at the Court of justice in Luxembourg where she was promoted to the Managing Assistant of the Croatian Translation Department. At the beginning of 2016 she completed an education program for project manager for EU funded projects, while being enrolled in the Postgraduate interdisciplinary study of diplomacy and international relations of the University of Zagreb, which is currently nearing completion. She works as an Intern at the Department for Culture and Communication, Institute for Development and International Relations (IRMO), Zagreb, Croatia. Her research interests include cultural diplomacy, sustainable development, creative economy and heritage management.