Home About the Institute Vis Regional Center

Vis Regional Center

History

The Vis Regional Center is the youngest regional center of the Pilar Institute. The establishment of the regional center is related to the previous activities of the MIC (Mediterranean Islands Conference) Vis. Since 2016, the international multidisciplinary scientific conference has been held every two years in September on the island of Vis. The organization is carried out in cooperation with the VERN’ University and with the support of the City of Vis. The first head of the regional center, Ljiljana Kaliterna Lipovčan, PhD, held this position from the establishment of the center in January 2021 until the appointment of Ivan Hrstić, PhD, as the new head in February 2025. The current head, Marko Mustapić, PhD, was appointed to this position in January 2026. The work of the Vis Regional Center is based on scientific research and scientific popularization activities.

Activities

The Vis Regional Center is focused on the establishment and development of project activities, the transfer of scientific knowledge and scientific contribution to social development and the popularization of science on the islands. Through these activities, it is able to contribute to the fulfillment of the Institute’s strategic goals, such as raising scientific excellence and inclusion in the European Research Area and other forms of international cooperation, strengthening cooperation with economic entities, state and public bodies and cultural and educational institutions, improving public visibility and strengthening social responsibility and finally strengthening the Institute’s research infrastructure.

The establishment of the Center was a continuation of the cooperation with the local community that can be followed since 2015 due to the organization of the now traditional biennial scientific conference Mediterranean Islands Conference Vis. The conference has been held regularly in September since 2016 and the Proceedings book of the conference is published afterwards. The aim of the conference is to bring together scientists from different fields and discuss the numerous challenges facing the Mediterranean islands.

The Vis Regional Center organizes various activities with the aim of popularizing science and dialogue with the local community on the island. Since 2024, two research sections have been under implementation as part of the TYPeS (Types of Youth Participation in Croatian Society) project, funded by the European Union through the NextGenerationEU program. Through the activities of the Regional Center, the Institute intends to profile itself as an important research entity for examining the development of the Croatian islands, the Croatian Adriatic, and the Mediterranean as a whole.

Activities

As part of the ceremonial opening of the Vis Regional Center on April 23, 2021, the Proceedings of the 3rd International Multidisciplinary Conference MIC VIS 2020 were presented, which was organized by the Pilar Institute and VERN University in Vis from September 16 to 19, 2020. The following day, September 24, 2021, a public forum Quality of Life in Croatia was held at the Croatian House in Vis, with speakers including Prof. Željko Holjevac, PhD, Director of the Pilar Institute, Ljiljana Kaliterna Lipovčan, PhD, Head of the Vis Regional Center, and the Mayor of the City of Vis Ivo Radica.
On September 22, 2023, the Proceedings of the Mediterranean Issues, Book 4: Preserving, Evaluating and Developing the Mediterranean, published by the Pilar Institute, VERN’ University, and the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, was presented at the Vis City Library. The collection was presented by the director of the Pilar Institute, Prof. Željko Holjevac, PhD, and the editors, Ozana Ramljak, PhD, and Katica Jurčević, PhD.
The Regional Center in Vis organized the presentation of the Youth in Society book series on May 6, 2025, in the archaeological collection space of the Batarija fortress. The first three books (Dino Vukušić: City, street, park and bench – Sociology of youth (sub)cultural practices in Zagreb, Marita Ukić Zeman: Sport or lifestyle? Freestyle BMX, Vanja Dergić: None is better than our politics – Forms of politics in the punk scene) were presented by Marko Mustapić, PhD, and Benjamin Perasović, PhD, as well as the director of the Institute, Prof. Željko Holjevac, PhD, and the head of the Vis Regional Center, Ivan Hrstić, PhD.
On September 26, 2025, the presentation of the proceedings of the 5th MIC VIS Mediterranean Issues, Book 5: MEDITERRANEAN: PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE PUBLISHERS was organized in the City Library of the Town of Vis. The book was presented by the Director of the Institute, Prof. Željko Holjevac, PhD, and the Vice-Rector for Science and Quality of the VERN’ University, Rino Medić, PhD. The editors of the book, Katica Jurčević, PhD, from the Institute for Migration Research, Ljiljana Kaliterna Lipovčan, PhD, from the Pilar Institute and Ozana Ramljak, PhD, from the VERN’ University, also participated in the discussion.
On February 19, 2026, the Vis Regional Center, with the organizational support of the TYPeS project, the City of Komiža and the City of Vis, organized a public lecture by the collaborators of the TYPeS project, Toshya Ueno, PhD (Wako University, Tokyo) entitled What is archipelagic thinking?

Publications

Katica Jurčević, Ljiljana Kaliterna Lipovčan, Rino Medić, Ozana Ramljak (Eds.) (2021) Mediterranean Issues, Book 3: MEDITERRANEAN – IMPRESSIONS, CONCEPTS, STORIES. – Zagreb: Ivo Pilar Institute of Social Sciences, VERN’ University & Scientific Council for Anthropological Research, Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (HAZU)
Katica Jurčević, Ljiljana Kaliterna Lipovčan, Rino Medić, Ozana Ramljak (Eds.) (2023) Mediterranean Issues, Book 4: PRESERVING, EVALUATING AND DEVELOPING THE MEDITERRANEAN PUBLISHERS. – Zagreb: Ivo Pilar Institute of Social Sciences, VERN’ University & Scientific Council for Anthropological Research, Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (HAZU)
Katica Jurčević, Ljiljana Kaliterna Lipovčan, Rino Medić, Ozana Ramljak (Eds.) (2025) Mediterranean Issues, Book 5: MEDITERRANEAN: PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE PUBLISHERS. – Ivo Pilar Institute of Social Sciences – VERN’

Conferences

4th MIC Vis 2022 – Vis, 14-17 September 2022. The Conference was organized by the Pilar Institute and VERN’ University, under the high patronage of the President of the Republic of Croatia and the patronage of the City of Vis
5th MIC Vis 2024 – Vis, 18-21 September 2024. The Conference was organized by the Pilar Institute and VERN University, under the patronage of the City of Vis