Slovenians like to joke that theirs is the only country in the world with love in its name! It is a small yet diverse, green and safe country for the 2 million people who call it home. As a multicultural and multilingual society, Slovenia is seen as a welcoming place to all. Visitors can enjoy the seaside, mountains, forests, rivers, lakes, vineyards, and many historical and cultural sites. Slovenia is also well positioned geographically with neighbours Austria, Italy, Hungary, and Croatia.
Capital: Ljubljana
Area: 20,271 km²
Population: 2.081 million (2019), 83% Slovene
Language: Slovenian, Italian, and Hungarian (co-official languages) with English widely spoken
Currency: euro (€)
Unemployment rate: 4.2%
GDP per capita: 25,946 USD (2019)
Funds for R&D activities in Slovenia around 2% of GDP
Discover Slovenia at www.slovenia.info/en
As home to six universities and 16 public research institutes, there are many opportunities for researchers in various disciplines. There are visible research successes in many disciplines, ranging from medicine to nanotechnology, social sciences, engineering, artificial intelligence, environmental sciences, and so on.
Research and science has always been an important part of Slovenian society – a predecessor of today’s Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Academia Operosorum Labacensium, was established in 1693 in Ljubljana. Today, there are 15,327 researchers working in 989 research organisations, organised in 1581 research groups and working on 6703 projects.[i]
According to the 2017 Better Life Index by the OECD, Slovenia performed well in several measures of well-being, ranking above the average in job and earnings, housing, health status, social connections, education and skills, work-life balance, environmental quality, and personal security.
Slovenia is proud of its low income inequality and high record of tertiary education among the adult population (33%), offering a high quality and accessible education, social and healthcare system.[ii]
The national research and innovation (R&I) strategy is currently being revised. The main ministries involved are the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport and the Ministry of Economics with their agencies and public bodies.
The most relevant funding agency is the Slovenian Research Agency, a public funding organisation that performs tasks related to the national research and development program and the European Research Area. Among many of its activities, the agency promotes international cooperation and funding.
In general, the Slovene R&I strategy is very much focused on responding to the needs of society and international cooperation, while encouraging co-creation and greater involvement by relevant stakeholders.
Backed by stable funding, this strategy aims to enhance the attractiveness and value of researchers’ work through supporting infractructure and efficient and fair conditions.
Slovenia’s National Agency, CMEPIUS, is closely linked to the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, and reposnsible for the implementation of Erasmus+ program, one of EU’s largest programs in the field of education, training, youth and sport. It is also responsible for the coordination of the Slovenian EURAXESS network of service centers and contact points, to assist international reserachers and their families. It has a special EURAXESS portal for Slovenia, where researchers can find information about working and living in the country.
EURAXESS Slovenia is dedicated to enhancing its own skills to improve the services it offers to international researchers, assisting them while moving to Slovenia, searching for a job, funding or partners, as well as providing support with practical matters. It cooperates closely with relevant ministries, local authorities and embassies to make international mobility easier. The Slovenian branch is part of a larger pan-European network, cooperating in various projects and activities, exchanging valuable knowledge and experiences.
EURAXESS creates synergies with many other educational programs and initiatives such as "Study in Slovenia," a network of Slovene universities and higher education institutions (HEIs) which aims to promote Slovenia as a study destination. There is a comprehensive Study in Slovenia website, supported by social media, promoting Slovenian institutions and the quality of education, research and life.
Main Slovene research institutions
The University of Ljubljana is the largest and oldest HEI. It is internationally recognised for the high calibre of its scientific and research output. Its research and artistic activities are carried out at faculties and academies covering all research and artistic fields. In 2018, it established the Research and Development Centre of the University of Ljubljana linking various fields of research.
The Jožef Stefan Institute is the leading Slovenian scientific research centre, covering a broad spectrum of basic and applied research. The staff of about 1050 specialises in natural sciences, life sciences and engineering. Physicist and mathematician Jožef Stefan (1835-1893) discovered the law of light radiation, which is now called Stefan’s Law.
Funded in 1938, the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts is the supreme national institution of sciences and arts. In 1693, the predecessor of the present-day Academy, the Academia Operosorum, was founded in Ljubljana (i.e. the same century as the Académie française, the Royal Society in London, and the Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher in Schweinfurt, or Leopoldina).
The University of Maribor has an ambitious development strategy focusing on sustainable, socially responsible and high-quality research. The university is commitment to excellence in research and to building and maintaining a strong international profile in the wider research space.
Why Slovenia?
The best people to answer this question are researchers who have already experienced working and living in the country.
Julian Ascencio Vasquez came from Chile to do his research at University of Ljubljana with the help of the EURAXESS portal. He says he very much appreciates the supporting environment he found himself in.
Mike Burnard came to the University of Primorska from Oregon, USA. He says that university-industry cooperation is solid, and there is funding available which meant he was able to create his own research environment. Slovenians have been welcoming hosts and he feels well integrated.
Fayruza Ismagilova is Russian but has no problems communicating with locals in English about everything. Her initial lectures in Slovenia soon grew into more international cooperation and projects, and she finds living in Slovenia very friendly.
Many international researchers that have found their place in Slovenia highly value the quality of life, dedication and cooperation among research teams, excellent infrastructure, tight links with industry, funding opportunities, as well as the support given by the host institutions.
All of the universities and research centers focus on cooperation with industry through joint projects, start-ups, spin-offs, and other forms of cooperation, making their shared work relevant and beneficial to society.
Slovenia certainly has a lot of potential and it is well worth exploring the mainstream as well as more niche disciplines, projects and developments. Some international researchers decide to stay, others leave and become bridges between countries and ambassadors of bilateral cooperation. Either way, it is a win-win situation for all.
Slovenia’s network of EURAXESS contact points and centers are served by eight main universities and research institutes.
Largest universities:
Main research institutes:
[i] (Source: Slovenian Current Research Information System - SICRIS).