Integrated Financial Information System of the Universities in the Republic of Croatia Based on Lump-Sum Principles and Supported by SAP Application Solution

With a joint effort on the part of the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports (MSES), representatives of all universities in Croatia (Zagreb, Split, Osijek, Rijeka, Zadar, Dubrovnik) and b4b company, the main goal of the project of the implementation of an Integrated Financial Information System of 6 Universities (IFIS-U6) based on lump-sum principles and supported by SAP application solution has been achieved. The project has been financed with MSES resources but for the benefit of the universities, and that is why the project had to meet the needs and interests of both parties. The main motive of the MSES has been to integrate a financial system which would ensure a transparency of the management of assigned budget resources. On the other hand, the motive on the part of the universities has been directed towards the independency regarding the purpose and spending of budget resources, as well as towards a stronger managing function of the universities. In line with the motives and interests, project business goals have been defined and they had to ensure the following: university independent management of assigned budget resources, development and integration of university financial processes and their integrity with financial processes of the MSES, unification of the processes, ensurance of IT basis for high-quality decision-making and university management with the help of a scalable application solution and by meeting the highest reporting standards.