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University of Ljubljana at ZOTKS Talents 2026: Talent needs opportunity. The University of Ljubljana creates opportunities.
On Saturday, 6 June 2026, the University of Ljubljana (UL) joined forces with the country's best young competitors, their parents, and mentors at the ZOTKS Talents 2026 event held at Cankarjev Dom. The event, organised by the Association for Technical Culture of Slovenia (ZOTKS), is dedicated to young people who have excelled in national knowledge competitions and the young researchers' meeting. This year, it brought together more than 1,300 primary and secondary school pupils, their parents, mentors and other guests.
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AI and a balance between comfort, judgement and responsibility
Artificial intelligence is increasingly moving from individual tools into the infrastructure of everyday decision-making. It is no longer simply a question of whether it can help us write a text, summarise material or find an answer. A more difficult question is coming to the fore – what happens when we start to rely on it in situations where we should be developing our own judgement, understanding and responsibility? Below is a round-up of news from the last two weeks regarding the use of AI in education and beyond.
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The University of Ljubljana has made significant progress in strengthening scientific excellence, internationalisation, and societal impact
The University of Ljubljana significantly strengthened its research excellence, innovation capacity, and societal impact during the 2022–2025 period, according to its self-evaluation report. Among the most notable achievements are the acquisition of 15 European Research Council (ERC) projects, 93 researchers ranked among the world's top 2% most-cited scientists, and the University's highest-ever position in the QS Europe rankings.
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Commitment to an open, inclusive and safe academic community
To mark Pride Month, the Rectorate of the University of Ljubljana is flying the rainbow flag as an expression of support for the LGBTIQ+ community and as a reaffirmation of our commitment to equality, respect for human rights and diversity within the academic environment.
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Researchers from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering UL Developed an Innovative Elastocaloric Cooling System
Researchers at the University of Ljubljana’s Faculty of Mechanical Engineering have developed a novel actuation system for elastocaloric cooling. Elastocaloric cooling is an emerging sustainable cooling technology that exploits temperature changes in solid-state materials subjected to cyclic mechanical loading and unloading. Considered one of the most promising next-generation cooling solutions, it offers the potential to eliminate the need for environmentally harmful refrigerants while achieving significantly higher energy efficiency than conventional vapor-compression refrigeration systems.
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UL Faculty of Mechanical Engineering alumna Ljupka Vrteva named among the world’s 12 outstanding women engineers
Ljupka Vrteva, recipient of the Slovenian Engineer of the Year 2023 award and an alumna of the University of Ljubljana’s Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, has been selected as one of the 12 outstanding women engineers worldwide in the prestigious Women Engineers You Should Know – 2026 initiative. The selection is organised annually by the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), the world’s largest organisation dedicated to connecting, supporting and advancing women in engineering.
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Associate Professor Dr Emilija Stojmenova Duh from the University of Ljubljana’s Faculty of Electrical Engineering Appointed to the EU AI Act Scientific Panel
Assoc. Prof. Dr Emilija Stojmenova Duh from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the University of Ljubljana has been appointed to the Scientific Panel of the European Union’s Artificial Intelligence Act (EU AI Act Scientific Panel). This is an expert advisory body established by the European Commission.
The panel will support the implementation of the European Artificial Intelligence Act.
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AI Between Trust, Evaluation and Human Judgement
In recent days, news about artificial intelligence in education has centred on a question that universities can no longer put off: how to use AI in a way that helps students learn, without losing sight of what a university education is meant to develop – independent thinking, professional judgement, an understanding of sources, the ability to argue a case, and responsibility for one’s own work.
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EUTOPIA Alliance representatives visit the University of Ljubljana for international sustainability management assessment
Between 18 and 19 May 2026, the University of Ljubljana (UL) hosted a pilot peer international assessment of sustainability management at UL by the international EUTOPIA Alliance. The purpose of the visit was to carry out an external assessment of the progress made in implementing the UL Sustainability Strategy, and it also provided a platform for discussing both existing best practices supporting the University’s sustainable operations and opportunities for further development in this area.
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University of Ljubljana achieves major success in Erasmus+ call: 2,219 mobilities approved
In 2026, the University of Ljubljana once again achieved outstanding success in the Erasmus+ programme call under Key Action 1 – Learning Mobility of Individuals. A total of 2,219 mobilities were approved, once again positioning the university among the most successful European higher education institutions in this field.
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Foundation stone laid for the new University of Ljubljana Faculty of Pharmacy building
Today, the University of Ljubljana (UL) held a formal ceremony to lay the foundation stone for the new Faculty of Pharmacy (FFA) building, marking the start of an important investment project aimed at the further development of educational and research infrastructure in the fields of pharmacy, clinical biochemistry and related natural sciences.
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30 Years of MSCA: The University of Ljubljana demonstrates its excellence with 57 projects
The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) programme is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. It is one of the European Union’s key programmes, designed to support doctoral education, postdoctoral training, research mobility, and the development of research careers. The University of Ljubljana has been remarkably successful in this regard, having secured as many as 57 MSCA projects over the past five years.
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EUTOPIA Day 2026: The International Environment as an Opportunity for Learning and Collaboration
Last week, the University of Ljubljana hosted the main event of EUTOPIA 2026 Day at the House of EU. The event, held under the slogan “EUTOPIA in Action,” brought together students, researchers, and faculty members to explore new opportunities within this European university alliance.
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11th Rectors’ forum of the Southeast Europe and Western Balkans and EUTOPIA Western Balkans Conference: for more cooperation between university and business
Last week, the University of Ljubljana hosted the 11th Rectors’ Forum of Southeast Europe and the Western Balkans and the EUTOPIA Western Balkans Conference, both of which were entirely dedicated to strengthening cooperation between universities and the business sector. The event brought together rectors and vice-rectors from 34 universities in the region, as well as representatives of the EUTOPIA Association of European Universities, with the aim of exchanging best practices and developing strategies for faster knowledge transfer into practice.
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Artificial intelligence is changing the way we think, learn and work
In this edition of the AI Newsletter, we present the latest news on how artificial intelligence is transforming the ways in which research, learning, assessment and work are carried out in higher education and wider society. Among other things, we highlight concerns regarding the impact of AI on research habits and critical thinking, changes in assessment and academic integrity, the growing importance of AI literacy, and the shift by universities from individual trials towards systematic policies on the use of AI. We also present examples of AI integration into course redesign, discussions on future skills and working in the age of AI, and current social and technological trends – from robotaxis in Ljubljana to the development of autonomous AI systems and smaller, specialised language models.
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Selected works of art for the new UL Veterinary Faculty building
As part of the New Building of the University of Ljubljana, Veterinary Faculty project, six works of art have been selected to enrich the new university premises of the UL Veterinary Faculty and contribute to the creation of an academic environment infused with art. The expert committee selected the works from among 91 competition proposals, following the criteria of artistic quality and suitability for the space.
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Twelve bicycles serviced and repaired at the student bicycle repair workshop
On Thursday, 14 May 2026, the University of Ljubljana, in cooperation with the May Games student festival, organised a bicycle repair workshop at the student residence campus in Rožna dolina. The workshop was led by Matej Jager, a student at the UL Biotechnical Faculty.
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More than 6,000 children from 35 countries have spoken – their words now have a place where we can all hear them
The Wind of Peace 2025 project symbolically concluded its journey at the UL Faculty of Education with the opening of a digital exhibition on 22 April 2026, where children’s messages to adults were given a special place.
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Ahead of World Bee Day, we created artworks inspired by nectar-producing plants
On Thursday, 14 May 2026, we gathered at the Botanical Garden of the University of Ljubljana to explore the fascinating world of nectar-producing plants. These plants also served as the central motif and inspiration for the creative part of the workshop, during which participants worked using the screen-printing technique.
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Academician Professor Dr Ivan Bratko receives the Golden Order of Merit
At the conclusion of the 6th Presidential Forum on Artificial Intelligence on 7 May 2026, the President of the Republic of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar, presented the Golden Order of Merit to Academician Professor Dr Ivan Bratko in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the establishment and development of artificial intelligence in Slovenia, his pioneering and internationally acclaimed contribution to the development of machine learning and logic programming, and his lasting impact on the international recognition of Slovenian science.
