In 2012, we adopted the University of Ljubljana Strategy 2012–2020. The current leadership of the University of Ljubljana continued with the implementations of the Strategy in 2013, at the beginning of its mandate. We have achieved more than half of the goals we are pursuing for the period until 2020. Hereinafter we stress the realization of key objectives of the University of Ljubljana Strategy in the period from 2013 until 2017.
We have set up a new, interdisciplinary research infrastructure centre, the »Centre for language resources and technologies« in which the following University of Ljubljana Members are actively participate: Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Education, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Faculty for Computer and Information Science and Faculty of Social Sciences. We observed that mere internal measures without changes in the funding policy of the Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS) are too weak.
In this period, we identified research areas with the greatest development potential and thus encouraged interdisciplinary cooperation, especially regarding applications to tenders for smart specialization projects. We established nine networks in these priority areas.
We increased the number of international projects by nine percent and their value by just under twenty percent. We also obtained the first two ERC Advanced Grants. We increased the number of publications by just under four percent and citations by fifty percent. The number and value of domestic projects have not increased, as the financing of research activities by the ARRS has decreased by more than twenty percent. The mentioned funds for research activities and the decrease in the number of young researchers have strongly affected the number of publications.
Promoting the formation of three large interdisciplinary research groups
Strengthening the doctoral school as an international environment and strengthening post-doctoral projects
Formation of internal finance mechanisms and incentives for research work
In the last four years, approximately 50,000 students graduated from the University of Ljubljana. In this mandate we also had the honour of awarding the 10,000th and 11,000th PhD titles since the University of Ljubljana was established in 1919.
We reduced the number of students by 12 percent. The number of graduates increased significantly in 2016 with respect to 2013 (from 9,904 to 17,289), which is a consequence of winding-up the pre-Bologna study programmes. The share of graduates in the total number of enrolled students in the period from 2013 to 2016 amounts on average to 21 percent while the absolute number decreased, with the exception of the year 2016. We attribute the decrease in the number of students and preservation of the number of graduates to the introduction of three -cycle studies, the reduction of fictitious enrolment and better efficiency of the studies.
The first University of Ljubljana Member to prepare the restructuring and reduce the number of study programmes was the Faculty of Social Sciences (from a total of 34 programmes to 23 programmes). The Faculty of Arts of the University of Ljubljana also reduced its number of programmes. We also opened new possibilities for setting up a doctoral degree programme in the field of art.
Increase the effectiveness of the educational process
Establishing mechanisms to monitor study programmes
We have reduced the number of projects with the economic and public sector by five percent but increased the value of these projects by ten percent. The economic crisis had a significant effect on the scope of the collaboration. This decrease has been partially compensated with the introduction of the programme of smart specialization, for which the University of Ljubljana received approximately ten million euro from the first tender.
The number of patent applications and inventions has not increased in this period. The number of participants in accredited advanced programmes decreased from 461 to 383 in the years from 2013 to 2016. The number of participants in other forms of knowledge advancement increased by fifty percent (from 2,529 to 3,736 participants).
Formation of strategic development partnerships and development groups for the implementation of development projects with the social environment
Strengthening the office responsible for transferring technologies and regulation of the role of knowledge managers as promoters of knowledge transfer to practical application
Development of the content of programmes of lifelong learning
Strengthening the activities of University of Ljubljana Career Centres
We are increasing the number of participants in sport programmes under the centre for extracurricular activities. We award students for achievements in extracurricular activities and study achievements as part of the traditional University Week, and where we will for the first time also give out awards to professional co-workers for their work in 2017. With the Council of Art that we founded in 2014 we carried out a range of presentations of departments and study programmes of the Academy of Fine Arts and Design, University of Ljubljana (UL ALUO), organized exhibitions, concerts and shows of students of the academy, and in collaboration with UL Members we organized an academy festival and an exhibition of jewels from the UL ALUO collection for its 70th anniversary. We also joined forces with the academies of the University of Ljubljana for the national celebration on Independence and Unity Day in 2014 which we organized ourselves. The symphony orchestra of the Academy of Music performed at the concert commemorating Statehood Day and 25 years of independence of the Republic of Slovenia in the Centre for Fine Arts Bozar in Brussels.
Formation of a special programme for the development of a cultural identity of the University of Ljubljana
Implementation of a centre for extracurricular activities
Formation of a university scholarship fund
Restoration of the University library
The number of foreign exchange students at the University is rising steadily and had increased by 45 percent by 2016 with regard to 2013, which is more than what we planned in the Strategy 2012–2020. Strategic goals regarding number of foreign students have been already reached, as the number of foreign students increased by nearly a quarter (24.7 percent), and the number of foreign teachers and researchers has increased by 17 percent. In the employment of foreigners we must emphasize three obstacles that the University cannot influence: complex administrative procedures for employing foreigners, the use of foreign languages in the educational process and non-comparability with other payment systems.
Adoption of the Internationalization Strategy
Increase of study programmes offered in a foreign language while promoting better care for the Slovenian scientific language
Increased mobility of employees and students and an increased share of foreign teachers and researchers
Enabling the priority of research activities to be embedded in international research networks
Strengthening the reputation and visibility of the University of Ljubljana
The University of Ljubljana ranks among the top three percent of the recognised best universities in the world. In addition to being part of the QS ranking list (650th place), it is also ranked in the other two most influential global ranking lists. In the ARWU it has been ranked in the 401–500th place for several years in a row, and in THE it is ranked in the 601–800th place. These are good results if we take into account the University’s level of allocated funds. It has been difficult to climb higher up the rankings as we suffered a significant decrease in government funding of research activities; in the last five years we saw a funding decrease of twenty percent. The drop in the number of young researchers is especially decisive – in the last five years we saw a decrease of approximately thirty percent. Investments in university activities will therefore have to be increased significantly if we wish to climb higher up the rankings. Our partner universities in Western Europe and Asia surpass us in funds per student by two to four times while Eastern European universities are also beginning to overtake us.
Strengthening the comprehensive system of quality assurance
Promotion of international quality evaluations and the accreditations of programmes and institutions
Strengthening of the University analysis and development office
Strengthening the internal affiliation of the University of Ljubljana
In collaboration with the Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering, University of Ljubljana, we set up an electronic register of real estate. This will enable us to manage real estate more effectively and better plan future spatial project possibilities.
Under the conditions, on account of which we had to reduce the number of employees by one percent per year, we implemented training of employees, especially for educators in the field of new teaching and learning methods. We also prepared a normative basis for employment and retirement.
We improved information technology support of studies in that we have created an electronic register of study programmes, and we updated study information technologies in order t coordinate the needs of all University Members.
Managing spatial planning
Promotion of human resource development
Upgrade of the information system
