Vlado Frančić is a full professor and Head of the Department of Nautical Science at the Faculty of Maritime Studies, University of Rijeka, Croatia. He obtained his Ph.D. from the same institution in the field of marine traffic management and safety of navigation. He has more than 20 years of experience in research and teaching activities including two years of onboard experience as a deck officer.

His expertise mainly encompasses topics related to the development of the maritime transport and safety of navigation. He worked as a project collaborator, expert, and team leader on numerous national and international projects related to the safety of navigation, safety of navigation in ports area and port development. In addition, he delivers lessons at university level in passenger transport technology topic.

He was a researcher on several EU-funded project connected to maritime transport sector, such as the EUREKA project dealing with harmonization and modernization of maritime safety services and he is project leader at the Faculty of Maritime Studies for the HORIZON project ZEAS (Ferry demonstrator for the switch to safe use of sustainable climate neutral fuels in Adriatic – Zero Emission Adriatic Ships) which dealt with the development of the passenger ship that will use hydrogen as a fuel.

He actively participates in the activities of the International Association of Maritime Universities (IAMU) where he was a member of the working group that supports effective MET systems for passing on maritime skills and knowledge to future generations of global seafarers and working group for research projects. He published more than 50 scientific articles related to maritime transport and safety at sea in different scientific journals and participated in many international maritime conferences.

Since 2009 he has been a visiting lecturer and adviser at the International Maritime Safety, Security and Environmental Academy (IMSSEA) in Genoa, recognized by the International Maritime Organization, for different topics related to flag state implementation, port state control systems and marine accident investigation.