The committee of EU member countries' permanent representatives (COREPER) last week greenlighted the opening of the negotiations, said Nikola Johannes Donig, spokesman for the Austrian mission to the EU.
EU president Austria has called on Zagreb and Ankara to present their negotiating positions for the chapter, while the European Commission (EC) has been entrusted with defining the EU's negotiating positions, which have to be unanimously confirmed by all member countries.
Donig declined to estimate when the negotiations might start, saying it could be during Austria's six-month presidency of the Union, which ends in June.
He said the EC had also submitted a report on the screening of the education and culture chapter, which is now being considered by the EU Enlargement Task Force and is expected to be put to COREPER soon.
In its report on the screening of the science and research chapter, the EC said Croatia could be considered sufficiently prepared for negotiations on the chapter and recommended launching them.
Croatia has achieved a good level in terms of adjustment of legislation and capacities for the implementation of the acquis communautaire, read the report.
The report was drawn up after the screening process, an analysis of the adjustment of Croatian legislation regulating science and research with European standards.
This was the first chapter that was screened since accession negotiations were launched last October.