BIP – Rijeka, Croatia

Vol 27, Issue 01, 13 September 2024

In June this year one of our European partners, EFRI, the Faculty of Economics and Business in Rijeka, Croatia, hosted a blended intensive programme for students. I gave a series of lectures there in 2014, and had been invited to lecture there during the summer several times since but been unable to make it. This year, although it was again during my summer holidays, I decided that I would attend.

Getting to Rijeka is not so difficult, however, getting there at a convenient time without long stopovers was a little challenging. In the end I decided to do as I had done before, and travel via Ljubljana, Slovenia. This meant a decent enough, albeit early morning, flight from Helsinki, a little time to stroll in Ljubljana, and then the bus directly to Rijeka.

Rijeka is a small enough city that everything is mostly within walking distance, and after a short walk from the bus station I was at my apartment in the town centre, near the cathedral and in amongst the historical roman ruins. After quickly settling in, it was only a 10-minute walk to the university to start my evening lecture. All lectures took place from 16-20.00, the idea being that it was very student centred, allowing them to have late nights, and beach days!

At the university, I was greeted by the host, and old friend, Tomislav Galovic. After short introductions and general information about the week’s programme, there were refreshments and then my lecture was the first in the schedule. The main theme of the week was business negotiations. In relation to this, and the fact that my lecture was the first in the programme, I decided to introduce students to imaginative and creative thinking in small teams.

The lecture was centered around Sitra’s Cards of Hope (see https://www.sitra.fi/en/publications/cards-of-hope/) and meant to be interactive. The Cards of Hope are playing cards that can be distributed in teams for highly imaginative discussions with many various outcomes. The main idea is to give students the chance to think in different ways and to use their imagination as to what kinds of futures there could be in different situations. Needless to say, students found it fun and extremely thought-provoking.

There were other lectures during the week mainly from representatives in the business sector, showing students case studies from their own experiences. In addition to this, students had been given pre-assignments to complete related to these lectures, and the culmination of the week was the final presentations by students.

A visit had also been arranged to the Hilton Rijeka Costabella Beach Resort & Spa located just outside the city. Unfortunately, not to sample the actual facilities, but we were welcomed with a glass of champagne and an extensive tour of the hotel, rooms, and back-office areas. Anyone looking for a luxury hotel in the area, should certainly check it out.

As the weather was so good during my visit – temperatures around +34C – and the schedule was allowing, I managed to get in some beach time myself. Rijeka has a some lovely spots just south of the city, again within easy walking distance. Recommended. I also had plenty of time in the week to see some of the sights in Rijeka that I had not seen on my last visit, and I really enjoyed sampling some great seafood and the best fresh tuna steak I’ve every had. The restaurants have great selections and always friendly staff, and the prices are very friendly too!

Unfortunately I had to leave at the end of the week a day before the end of the actual programme, due to my schedule, and the fact that I had to take the bus back to Ljubjana to stay one night there, before my flight back to Helsinki on the Saturday. The travelling was simple and comfortable, and again allowed me a little more time to see the sights in Ljubljana.

For students, I can certainly recommend these kinds of BIPs, as you get the benefits of Erasmus exchange, but it is in a short timeframe – perfect if you cannot commit to a whole semester abroad.