The TOURAL project was presented at the Doctoral Conference for PhD Students in the Field of Media and Communication, held on 28 November 2025 at the University of North in Koprivnica, Croatia.
The conference brought together young researchers and scientists, providing a platform for scientific dialogue, knowledge exchange, and networking.
Representatives of the Zadar County Development Agency ZADRA NOVA participated in the event, presenting a scientific contribution focused on organizational communication within the European Union. The presentation included practical examples of communication practices through EU-funded initiatives such as the TOURAL project and EUROPE DIRECT centres.
The research explored how EU projects function as channels for communicating public policies at the local level, emphasizing their role in:
- Enhancing transparency and citizen engagement
- Strengthening communication between institutions and communities
- Promoting EU priorities through concrete local actions
The study was based on qualitative analysis of official EU documents and relevant literature, with conclusions and recommendations to be further developed and published in the conference proceedings in 2026.
Participants showed strong interest in the TOURAL project, particularly regarding its expected results and its role in promoting sustainable tourism and community-based development.
The conference has a clear mission – to point out the role of communication and information sciences and their potential, but also to encourage young researchers to actively participate in scientific cooperation, exchange of knowledge, experiences and challenges. In that sense, the conference highlighted the importance of communication sciences in shaping effective public engagement and reinforcing the visibility of EU initiatives such as TOURAL.