Documentation and Research Centre for European Bioethics “Fritz Jahr”

Briefly about the Fritz Jahr Centre

The “Fritz Jahr” Documentation and Research Centre for European Bioethics was founded in May 2013 at the University of Rijeka. Since 2018, it has been a part of the Faculty of Health Studies of the University of Rijeka. From 2014 to 2023, the Centre was part of the Scientific Centre of Excellence for Integrative Bioethics (one of the first seven scientific centres of excellence in the Republic of Croatia).

The Centre’s activities are oriented towards the implementation of research projects in the field of bioethics, the promotion of European Bioethics, and the regional, European, and global positioning of Rijeka and the University of Rijeka on the bioethics map.

The Centre is one of the co-organisers of the Rijeka Days of Bioethics – the longest-running bioethics meeting in Croatia. Also, the Centre is a co-publisher of the scientific journal Jahr – European Journal of Bioethics.

Another important activity of the Centre is the awarding of the “Fritz Jahr” International Annual Award for Research and Promotion of European Bioethics since 2016, the awardees being Hans-Martin Sass (Germany/USA), José-Roberto Goldim (Brazil), Fernando Lolas Stepke (Chile), Michael Tai (Taiwan), Luisella Battaglia (Italy), Thomas Sören Hoffmann (Germany), Christian Byk (France), Eleni Kalokaironou (Greece), and Walter Schweidler (Germany).

For more information, contact us by e-mail at diceb@uniri.hr or visit us in Rijeka (Faculty of Health Studies, Viktora Cara Emina 5).

The Documentation and Research Centre for European Bioethics “Fritz Jahr” was founded in May 2013 at the University of Rijeka, and since 2018 continues its work as part of the Faculty of Health Studies of the University of Rijeka. From 2014 to 2023, the Centre was part of the Scientific Centre of Excellence for Integrative Bioethics, one of the first seven scientific centres of excellence in the Republic of Croatia.

The Centre’s activities are oriented towards the implementation of research projects in the field of bioethics, the promotion of European bioethics, and the regional, European, and global positioning of Rijeka and the University of Rijeka on the global bioethics map.

The Centre, together with the Department of Social and Humanistic Sciences in Medicine of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Rijeka, the Croatian Bioethics Society, and other partners, is a co-organiser of the Rijeka Days of Bioethics – the longest-running bioethics conference in Croatia. The Centre is also a co-publisher (together with the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Rijeka and other partner institutions) of the journal Jahr – European Journal of Bioethics, established in 2010 and published twice a year.

Within the Centre, there is a library containing several thousand books in the fields of bioethics/medical ethics, history of medicine, and related areas, as well as documents forming part of the legacy of Ivan Šegota, Viktor Finderle, and other physicians from Rijeka.

Key Activities of the Centre:

  • Preparation of an institutional platform for scientific and development projects and implementation of research projects in the field of bioethics
  • Establishment of an institutional framework for the continuous gathering, education, and retention of young experts in bioethics
  • Documentation, archiving, exchange, and electronic storage of materials related to (European) bioethics (books, articles, archival sources, facsimiles, etc.)
  • Organisation, co-organisation, and implementation of scientific and professional meetings, conferences, symposia, and round tables
  • Organisation of study visits for the purpose of acquiring historical and bioethical bibliography
  • Presentation of the Centre’s activities in domestic and international daily press, official websites, portals, etc.
  • The Centre also awards the Fritz Jahr International Annual Award for Research and Promotion of European Bioethics

The Centre’s logo is a drawing (author Marul Lerga) of the Nebra Sky Disk, the oldest known physical depiction of an astronomical phenomenon, believed to date back to the Bronze Age. The disk is included in the UNESCO “Memory of the World” register and is part of the permanent exhibition at the State Museum of Prehistory in Halle an der Saale, the birthplace of Fritz Jahr.

Publications and Publishing

Projects

Invited Lectures

Who makes up the Centre?

Where is the Centre located?

Fritz Jahr International Annual Award for Research and Promotion of European Bioethics

Updated May 8, 2026

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