Project update · 20 October 2026

VARIO kick-off: first steps in Diocletian’s Palace

The team gathers in the North Tower to chart the first year of research—and looks ahead to welcoming a doctoral colleague.

The four VARIO team members in the North Tower of Diocletian’s Palace, with the project presentation projected behind them — The VARIO team in the North Tower of Diocletian’s Palace, where the kick-off meeting took place.

Four VARIO team members inside the historic stone substructures of Diocletian’s Palace — A visit to the Palace substructures, VARIO’s central study site.

The VARIO research team gathered on 20 October 2026 in the North Tower of Diocletian’s Palace in Split for its first project meeting. The team also visited the Palace substructures—the historic spaces at the heart of VARIO’s research.

Led by principal investigator Morena Galešić Divić, the team brings together Martina Milat, Emanuela Tomelić Jurović and Marijana Balić, connecting expertise in hydraulic engineering, optimisation and uncertainty analysis, architectural heritage, and coastal sea-level dynamics.

The kick-off meeting focused on establishing a shared roadmap for the project’s first year. The team reviewed research objectives, work packages, key milestones, budget and procurement priorities, and agreed on initial responsibilities and ways of working.

The first research phase will focus on reconstructing historical drainage and water pathways, integrating existing spatial evidence, and preparing targeted geophysical investigations and groundwater monitoring. These activities will establish the empirical foundation for subsequent hydraulic modelling of water accumulation and retention under interacting extreme-event conditions.

The project also benefits from the expert advice of Vesna Bulić Baketić, Jadranka Šepić and Robert Šakić Trogrlić. The VARIO team warmly thanks the Museum of the City of Split for its ongoing support in facilitating access to the study site and sharing relevant information.

Looking ahead: growing the VARIO team

An important next step is the application to the Croatian Science Foundation’s DOK-2026 programme. If successful, the project hopes to welcome a doctoral research assistant in the coming months, subject to funding approval and formal recruitment.

The planned position would offer an early-career researcher the opportunity to contribute to field investigations, data analysis and hydraulic model development, while growing within a collaborative, interdisciplinary research environment.

With complementary expertise and a shared research direction, the VARIO team looks forward to developing new knowledge about water dynamics in historic coastal environments—and contributing to the long-term understanding and protection of Diocletian’s Palace.

Istraživački tim projekta VARIO okupio se 20. listopada 2026. u Sjevernoj kuli Dioklecijanove palače u Splitu na prvom projektnom sastanku. Tim je obišao i substrukcije Palače, povijesne prostore u središtu istraživanja projekta VARIO.

Pod vodstvom voditeljice projekta Morene Galešić Divić, tim čine Martina Milat, Emanuela Tomelić Jurović i Marijana Balić. Zajedno povezuju hidrotehničko inženjerstvo, optimizaciju i analizu neizvjesnosti, graditeljsku baštinu te obalne procese i promjene razine mora.

Početni sastanak bio je posvećen usuglašavanju plana rada za prvu projektnu godinu. Razmotreni su istraživački ciljevi, radni paketi, ključne etape, proračun i prioritetne nabave te dogovoreni početni doprinosi članica tima i način suradnje.

Prva istraživačka faza usmjerena je na rekonstrukciju povijesne odvodnje i putanja vode, objedinjavanje postojeće prostorne građe te pripremu ciljanih geofizičkih istraživanja i monitoringa podzemnih voda. Time će se izgraditi empirijska podloga za kasnije hidrauličko modeliranje nakupljanja i zadržavanja vode pri međudjelovanju ekstremnih događaja.

Projektu stručnu savjetodavnu podršku pružaju i Vesna Bulić Baketić, Jadranka Šepić te Robert Šakić Trogrlić. Tim VARIO srdačno zahvaljuje Muzeju grada Splita na kontinuiranoj podršci u pristupu istraživačkoj lokaciji te dijeljenju relevantnih informacija.

Pogled unaprijed: širenje tima VARIO

Jedan od važnih sljedećih koraka prijava je na natječaj Hrvatske zaklade za znanost DOK-2026. U slučaju uspješne prijave i provedbe formalnog postupka zapošljavanja, projektu bi se u idućim mjesecima mogao pridružiti asistent ili asistentica na doktorskom studiju.

Planirano radno mjesto pružilo bi istraživaču na početku karijere mogućnost uključivanja u terenska istraživanja, obradu podataka i razvoj hidrauličkih modela, uz znanstveno usavršavanje u suradničkom, interdisciplinarnom okruženju.

Uz komplementarna znanja i zajednički istraživački smjer, tim VARIO veseli se razvoju novih spoznaja o dinamici vode u povijesnim obalnim sredinama te doprinosu dugoročnom razumijevanju i očuvanju Dioklecijanove palače.