HKS staff on Erasmus+ mobility in Ljubljana: strengthening cooperation with leading Slovenian researchers

As part of the Erasmus+ staff mobility for training program, employees of the Catholic University of Croatia - Livia Puljak, Krunoslav Matešić, and Dalibor Čavi - spent the past week on a working visit to Ljubljana. This mobility focused on the exchange of experiences, familiarization with innovative pedagogical methods, and the strengthening of scientific and research cooperation with partner institutions in Slovenia.

The hosts of this productive visit were the Nutrition Institute (NUTRIS) and the Faculty of Applied Sciences (VIST - Faculty of Applied Sciences). Our staff had the opportunity to gain first-hand insight into the work of these institutions, become thoroughly acquainted with the organization of their teaching, and participate in presentations of current research projects. Special emphasis was placed on the application of modern technologies in student education and on knowledge transfer to the wider community.

During the visit to NUTRIS, the HKS staff were particularly impressed by the work of Prof. Igor Pravst, PhD, and his expert team, who conduct top-level research in the fields of nutrition and public health. On this occasion, the project - a website and mobile application titled “Veš kaj ješ” (Do You Know What You Eat) - was presented. It is a tool that allows consumers to instantly find out the precise nutritional composition of a food product by simply scanning its barcode.

A color-coded system designed according to the “traffic light” principle intuitively helps consumers recognize the nutritional quality of products and avoid those with excessive amounts of sugar, salt, or fat. Each year, thousands of products are scanned in stores in order to maintain and expand the database. The database is also continuously enriched by consumers themselves, who submit photos and information about new products from store shelves, creating a unique and up-to-date digital platform.

In addition to becoming acquainted with ongoing projects, the visit was also used for concrete discussions on future activities. Further plans were defined for the exchange of teaching staff and students between the Catholic University of Croatia and the NUTRIS and VIST institutions. This continues our long-standing successful cooperation, which will be enriched in the future with new joint research initiatives and projects for the benefit of the academic community and the wider public.