30 godina CARNET-a

Establishment of CARNET as an Institution

Did you know that the Croatian Academic and Research Network – CARNET was established as an institution on 1st March 1995 with the goal of connecting educational and research institutions in Croatia by developing an advanced computing and communication infrastructure? CARNET has played a key role in linking Croatia to international networks, enabling faster and more efficient collaboration on a global scale. By developing information hubs and networks, CARNET initiated the digital transformation of the education sector, laying the foundation for modern educational tools that are widely used today.

The Internet in Croatia

Thirty-three years ago, on 17th November 1992, Croatia officially gained internet access! On that day, CARNET, the academic and research network, was launched. The first users were the Ministry of Science and Technology, along with several public universities. Today, CARNET connects over 4,130 institutions in the scientific and educational sectors, improving connectivity and access to information across Croatia’s education system.

The First Internet Courses

In October 1994, CARNET held the first internet courses for users. This was a key step in educating Croatian citizens about internet technologies, which were just beginning to change everyday life and work. Today, CARNET continues its educational activities, promoting digital literacy at all levels of the education system.

The First Remote Lecture

In January 1997, the first remote lecture was held between the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing in Zagreb and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Osijek! This marked the beginning of inter-university connections through technology. Today, almost 30 years later, we have an extensive network of tools and systems such as CARNET Loomen, enabling students and teachers to engage in high-quality distance learning. From the first remote lecture to digital classrooms and online education, technology has transformed the way we learn and teach!

Cybersecurity

Hackultet and Hacknite

Did you know that CARNET’s National CERT organises the Hackultet and Hacknite competitions each year, offering young talents – secondary school and university students – the opportunity to showcase their programming skills and tackle real-world challenges in technology and IT? These competitions not only encourage creativity but also help young people connect, develop new ideas, and gain valuable experience that could guide them towards careers in technology.

CERT iffy

Did you know that with CARNET’s CERT iffy service, you can quickly and easily check whether an online store is trustworthy? This service is completely free and is the perfect first step in ensuring your online shopping security. Simply enter or paste the store’s URL at iffy.cert.hr and click the verification button.

So far, more than 22,840 unique users have accessed this service, with over 2,000 new users conducting security checks each month. A total of 24,345 domain checks have been completed, with an average of about 2,200 checks per month.

Currently, the CERT iffy database holds over 45,000 fraudulent web shops, with around 20% of these sites estimated to be active at any given time. With CERT iffy, you can verify whether a store is safe before taking any further steps.

Online Services

e-Class Register

Did you know that when e-Class Register was first introduced, only three schools in Croatia used it – XV. Gymnasium in Zagreb, Požega Gymnasium, and the Ante Kuzmanić Medical School in Zadar? Today, over 450,000 students, 55,000 teachers, and 1,379 schools across Croatia use the system!

Here are some impressive statistics that demonstrate the success of this system:

• Over 16 million student and parent logins per month!
• More than 2 million teacher logins each month.
• 300,000 digital student status certificates issued annually.
• Over 190,000 users already use the mobile app for iOS and Android, and the number keeps growing!

Since January 2024, parents have been able to justify their child’s absences via e-Dnevnik, with the absence notification system sending over 30,000 emails to parents daily! 📧

The system is continuously improving, and from the 2024/2025 academic year, a pilot project for messaging between teachers, students, and parents has been launched in 32 schools.

CARNET ID

Did you know that CARNET ID manages 565,023 user accounts and supports 5,430 administrators across 1,641 schools? This system provides all employees, teachers, and students with a free electronic identity (username, password, and email address) and access to numerous CARNET services, including Microsoft Office 365, Google Workspace for Education, e-Dnevnik, Edutorij, and many more.

By the end of 2025, CARNET ID will undergo a redesign and introduce new functionalities, making it easier to use and enhancing the user experience.

CARNET Info

Did you know that CARNET Info serves as your personal portal for all your educational needs? This user-friendly portal allows easy management of CARNET identification data, password administration, and institutional connections.

On the CARNET Info portal, you can choose from a wide range of cloud services, including Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace for Education, and select your preferred email service, whether Gmail or Outlook. For primary and secondary school principals, the portal provides access to digitally signed documents, ensuring a high level of security and efficiency in school administration.

The portal also provides detailed statistical data about your school, such as student and teacher numbers and average grades. This information is essential for tracking educational activities and planning future strategies.

CARNET data

Did you know that CARNET data is a system designed to track and analyse learning data to improve the educational process? This system collects data on students and their learning progress and uses it to predict their needs, success rates, and provide additional support if required.

CARNET data also assists teachers, school principals, and policymakers in better understanding student progress and identifying areas for improvement. For parents and students, this means more effective tracking of academic performance, while schools benefit from enhanced support and strategic planning for educational development.

Domain Management

Did you know that since 1993, CARNET has managed Croatia’s national internet domain (.hr)? This means that CARNET oversees all .hr web addresses and allows you to be part of the Croatian online space.

If you want to register your own .hr domain, there are several types available:

• Free domains for businesses and individuals in Croatia with registered activities.
• Paid domains for businesses and individuals from the European Union.
• Free personal domains for Croatian citizens with an OIB (.from.hr).
• Paid domains for everyone – .com.hr.

CARNET is the only organisation offering free .hr domain registration, while paid domains can be registered through authorised companies.

For more information, visit domene.hr and explore all the options available.

Education

Portal škole.hr 

Did you know that the Portal škole.hr celebrated its 18th birthday this year? For nearly two decades, it has provided teachers and students with valuable and interesting educational content related to learning and technology. Over 10,000 articles have been published on the portal, with 3,800 written by teachers themselves, sharing their knowledge and experiences with colleagues and readers.

The portal has collaborated with experts from various fields, including radio and TV presenters, opera singers, psychologists, and veterinarians. Contributors have also included doctors, mathematicians, educators, nutritionists, DJs, writers, historians, physicists, and designers – all with the shared goal of spreading knowledge and experience within the education community.

With each passing year, the portal’s readership grows. Last year alone, it recorded 1.2 million visits and 700,000 unique visitors! These numbers inspire us to continue improving and working with those who can contribute to a more informed and modern educational community.

Loomen – Online Learning Platform

Did you know that Loomen, CARNET’s online learning system, is now used by over 50% of schools and 37% of universities in Croatia? Currently, there are more than 116,000 active users, and in January 2025 alone, Loomen recorded 93,803 school users and 22,575 university users.

Loomen is not just a learning tool – it’s also a key platform for national and international competitions such as Dabar, Infokup, Medo, and Croatian Brain Bee. This year, over 52,000 students participated in the Dabar competition, while Infokup attracted more than 9,000 users!

Launched in 2008, Loomen replaced the commercial WebCT system with the free Moodle platform. Today, it is used in over 30 organisations, including HANFA, the Tax Administration, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Prison Administration. In 2018, Loomen facilitated Croatia’s largest online teacher training, with 56,565 educators participating in the “School for Life” programme.

Interestingly, even the Confucius Institute uses Loomen for its Chinese language courses. The platform is now integrated with e-Dnevnik, making it easy to transfer courses from e-Dnevnik to Loomen.

From a single server at launch, Loomen has grown to over 30 servers, supporting thousands of users across Croatia!

e-Lektire – Digital School Reading Materials

Did you know that for over 15 years, the e-Lektire portal has provided quick and easy access to school reading materials? It serves students, teachers, and the general public (with prior registration).

The platform offers a responsive and user-friendly system, giving access to over 370 works of Croatian and world literature, 160 audiobooks, 52 literary quizzes, 52 audio snippets, and five video snippets. All content is available in digital formats that meet modern accessibility standards and can be used on various devices.

Each book includes notes about the author and the work, and 72 titles come with methodological guidance for adapting the content to Croatian language lessons. These guidelines help teachers personalise learning, encourage independent student research, and integrate digital tools into teaching. Many works are also available in formats suitable for reading on Braille digital devices.

With 10,000 unique users each month, the number of e-Lektire users continues to grow!

CARNET Meduza – Multimedia Platform

Did you know that 90% of the information processed by our brain comes through visual input?

This is why we developed CARNET Meduza, an innovative multimedia platform that enables the storage, sharing, and playback of educational video content anytime, anywhere. Currently, Meduza hosts over 44,461 videos, and the number of registered users has reached 64,892. The total length of educational video content exceeds 10,000 hours, offering a vast range of learning opportunities at your fingertips.

Top 5 most-watched materials:

1. Croatian Lottery – Receipts Matter – 2,981,407 views
2. e-Dnevnik – Webinar for Teachers (4.9.2019.) – 1,409,817 views
3. How the DNS System Works – 1,322,245 views
4. Simple and Advanced Searching in Edutorij – 1,227,196 views
5. Uploading Materials to Edutorij – 1,225,142 views

All of this content is available for free at meduza.carnet.hr.

Microsoft 365 for Schools

Did you know that all students and teachers in Croatian primary and secondary schools can use Microsoft 365 for free?

With Microsoft 365 for Schools, education becomes more modern, interactive, and accessible:

• Tools like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote make everyday tasks easier.
• Microsoft Teams allows seamless communication and collaboration – in the classroom or remotely.
• Over 500,000 users in Croatia are already benefiting from Microsoft 365 for education!

Edutorij – Digital Learning Repository

Edutorij is a repository of digital educational materials, allowing teachers and students to publish, access, store, and share content created within Croatian primary and secondary schools, as well as by professionals from other educational institutions.

By the end of 2024, Edutorij had 66,240 unique users, and 3,731 new materials were added during the year, bringing the total to 30,692 materials. The platform also introduced 73 new collections, further enriching its content.

As part of the e-Schools programme, 98 digital educational resources have been developed, while Edutorij currently offers 230 EduBlic materials, helping teachers enhance their digital skills.

e-Laboratorij – A New Digital Learning Experience

Did you know that a major redesign of e-Laboratorij is underway?

Since its launch in 2013, e-Laboratorij has supported thousands of teachers and students, and soon it will offer an even better user experience! The upgraded system will provide more intuitive navigation, enhanced digital tools, and improved support for creative and research-based learning.

Currently, nearly 250 digital tool reviews are available on e-Laboratorij, with over 100,000 unique visitors annually. The upcoming redesign is expected to increase engagement and make educational applications and multimedia resources even more accessible.

Events

CUC and THECUC Conferences

Did you know that the first CARNET Users Conference (CUC) was held back in 1999 – entirely in English? Now, 26 years later, this event still brings together experts, teachers, and technology enthusiasts in education. This year’s conference will take place from 9th to 11th April in Rovinj!

Over the years, participation has grown steadily, and the conference provides fantastic networking opportunities and a platform for sharing new ideas.

In addition to CUC, since 2023, CARNET has also hosted THECUC – a dedicated conference for higher education institutions.

Nursery School Enrolments

Did you know that enrolling children in nursery schools in Croatia has become easier and more efficient?

Over the years, the number of applications for nursery school places has steadily increased, and fewer applications are now being submitted by administrators on behalf of parents – indicating that parents are becoming more comfortable using the online application system.

For the 2024/2025 academic year, a total of 17,207 applications were submitted for 15,878 children across 156 nurseries. This is an increase from the previous year (2023/2024), when 15,518 applications were submitted for 14,357 children in 158 nurseries.

Forget paperwork and long queues – you can now enrol your child in nursery school online, quickly and easily, from the comfort of your home!

What are the benefits of online nursery school enrolment?

• Quick and easy application submission
• Real-time tracking of application status
• Time-saving and stress-free for parents
• Access to all available nurseries in one place

Primary School Enrolments

The first school bell is about to ring! It’s time to enrol your child in Year 1! You can now register your child online, ensuring a fast and simple enrolment process for your chosen school.

Benefits of online primary school enrolment:

• Secure and convenient registration from home
• All relevant information in one place
• Real-time notifications about the enrolment process
• Overview of available schools

This system was initially introduced in one county, then expanded to all counties except Zagreb, and as of this year, it now covers the entire country!

Secondary School Enrolments

Did you know that Croatia has been conducting online secondary school enrolments for 12 years?

The first online enrolments were introduced in the 2012/2013 academic year through the NISpuSŠ application, and since then, a total of 497,830 students have enrolled via the platform.

In 2022, the application was redesigned to enhance the user experience and simplify the enrolment process. Each year, the system handles over 10,000 support requests, including emails and calls related to enrolments.

What’s New in 2025?

• A new “My Timeline” feature to help students keep track of important enrolment dates.
• Technical School (TR) students can now adjust their priorities independently during the preliminary ranking phase.
• Students who mistakenly remove a programme with an early application deadline can now reapply on their own.

To make the process even easier, written guides are available to help students step by step, and information is regularly shared via a dedicated Viber channel. Webinars are also planned to further simplify the process for students and parents.

e-Schools – The Largest Educational Project in Croatia

Did you know that CARNET has led one of the biggest education projects in Croatia?

The e-Schools project, launched in 2015, aims to digitally transform the education system. Through e-Schools, CARNET has modernised infrastructure, equipment, and teaching methods, significantly improving the digital maturity of Croatian schools.

Key Achievements

• Pilot phase (2015-2018): 151 schools participated.
• Expansion phase (2018-2023): Transformed all Croatian schools.
• 2400+ school locations now have high-speed networks.
• 85,000+ laptops provided for teachers.
• 1,440 teaching scenarios and 350 cross-curricular scenarios developed, with 119 interactive resources.
• 70,000+ teachers attended workshops, webinars, and e-courses.

In 2020, the European Commission awarded e-Schools first place in the Regiostars Awards for its impact on inclusive growth, skills, and digital education.

In 2022, EU citizens voted e-Schools as the second-best regional development project in the past 15 years!

e-Universities

After the success of e-Schools, CARNET launched the e-Universities programme to enhance digital infrastructure, introduce advanced digital teaching tools, and strengthen cybersecurity in Croatian universities.

This initiative aims to:

• Provide high-speed internet and improved digital infrastructure
• Implement advanced learning and teaching tools
• Strengthen cybersecurity for universities
• Offer digital education for professors and administrative staff

ATTEND – Assistive Technology in Education

Did you know that CARNET and educational rehabilitation experts worked together on the ATTEND project to support students with disabilities?

As part of the project:

• 5,686 pieces of assistive technology were distributed to 34 educational institutions across 22 cities.
• 1,750 students now have access to technology that supports their learning.
• 75 workshops were held, attended by 1,450+ participants.
• 5 webinars and an e-learning course (completed by 1,152 participants) were developed.

CroQCI – Croatia’s Quantum Communication Network

Did you know that Croatia is building a quantum communication network for ultra-secure data exchange?

CroQCI is part of the EU-wide initiative to develop a quantum communication infrastructure that will connect all of Europe.

What does this mean?

• A quantum fibre network integrated with the European quantum network.
• Quantum encryption for secure data transmission.
• New applications and services based on quantum technology.

Find out more at www.carnet.hr/projekt/croqci and learn how this project is preparing Croatia for the future of ultra-secure communication!

BrAIn – Artificial Intelligence in Education

Did you know that CARNET’s BrAIn project has developed two AI curricula – one for primary schools and one for secondary schools?

These programmes introduce students to artificial intelligence and new technologies shaping our world. They encourage critical thinking about AI’s benefits and challenges, helping students understand the ethical implications of AI in society.

• AI curriculum for primary schools → Available here
• AI curriculum for secondary schools → Available here