Cooperation with the economy The School of Applied Mathematics and Informatics successfully collaborates with industry and high schools in the surrounding area. Collaboration with many companies and institutions is carried out within the framework of previously signed cooperation agreements. These agreements have made the School an important academic partner for the business sector, and the consultative role of the School and the professional internships of our students have raised awareness in the business sector about the need for mathematicians in their teams, resulting in an increase in the employment of our students in companies. The general objectives of business and professional collaboration of the School of Applied Mathematics and Informatics are: The possibility of students from the School performing their professional internships on company premises The development of graduate or final papers in collaboration with a business entity Additional education of graduate students by industry experts Involvement of faculty experts in solving real problems arising from the actual needs of companies Conducting thematic lectures by experts from the real sector. In addition to formal cooperation agreements, the School collaborates informally with numerous companies from the real sector, involving faculty members in solving professional and scientific issues that naturally arise in such companies. An important indicator of the intensity of collaboration with industry is the implementation of student internships within the elective course “Professional Practice” (4 ECTS) in the graduate university program in Mathematics, specializing in Financial Mathematics and Statistics, as well as in Mathematics and Computer Science, and in the third year of the undergraduate university program in Mathematics and Computer Science. The quality, expertise, and innovation of our students are also demonstrated by research conducted by the Osijek Software City association titled “Knowledge and Skills of Students from Osijek Faculties” in which IT sector employers expressed their opinions on the knowledge and skills related to software development that students from our university acquire during their education. The research involved 12 major companies based in Osijek or Zagreb, employing over 1,000 employees primarily engaged in software development. Our students were recognized as the best in almost all categories. This research is a significant recognition of our Mathematics and Computer Science program and strongly influenced the establishment of the university undergraduate program in Mathematics and Computer Science and the modernization of the undergraduate university program in Mathematics. A measurable outcome of the collaboration between the Faculty and the real sector is evident in the fact that among the students completing their graduate studies at the School of Applied Mathematics and Informatics at the University of Osijek, there are almost no unemployed individuals, and potential employers increasingly contact us directly in search of high-quality and skilled young professionals. Collaboration agreements The Faculty of Applied Mathematics, as the legal successor of the Department of Mathematics, has collaboration agreements in place with the following companies and institutions: Mono, IN2, Span, BE-terna, AlphaScore, Hrvatska agencija za poljoprivredu i hranu, Poljoprivredni institut Osijek, Žito, Plava tvornica, UHP Digital, Zagrebačka banka, Državni zavod za statistiku, Agencija za odgoj i obrazovanje, Hrvatski zavod za zapošljavanje, Elektrotehnička i prometna škola Osijek, EM2, as well as an agreement with the association Osijek Software City, which gathers a variety of Osijek-based IT companies and supports our top students according to the following model: The best students from the first and second year of undergraduate studies will have the opportunity for a one-day visit to the companies that are part of OSC (Osijek Software City). The best students from the third year of undergraduate studies will have the opportunity for a multi-day visit to the companies that are part of OSC (Osijek Software City) for the purpose of defining possible topics for joint final projects. the best first-year graduate university students in Financial Mathematics and Statistics and Mathematics and Computer Science (Master level) will be granted a one-day stay in the companies that are part of Osijek Software City, The best students in the first year of the graduate programs in Financial Mathematics and Statistics and Mathematics and Computer Science will have the opportunity for a one-day visit to the companies that are part of OSC (Osijek Software City). The latest collaboration agreement has been signed with the State Bureau of Statistics and the Association of Mathematicians Osijek. Cooperation includes the organization of the Statistical Olympiad (https://natjecanje.dzs.hr/) and the participation of representatives from the Bureau as guest lecturers at the National Professional Seminar for Mathematics Teachers.