The year 2016 passed as the third and partly fourth year of the current University of Ljubljana management. It was marked by the completion or continuation of the projects commenced and a review of the results achieved since 2013.
In education, the number of foreign students again substantially increased (ten percent more than in 2015) as did the number of exchange students (21 percent more than in 2015). A programme entitled ‘Year plus’ was prepared for foreign students. It allows them to learn Slovenian and discover the new environment so they can be successfully included in studies with Slovenian students. Funds for cofinancing PhD studies were again received and we got a green light for preparing a PhD study programme in Art. We strengthened tutelage and continued to train lecturers and reduce the number of study programmes. The number of foreign academic staff has grown. Since 2013, the number of foreign teachers and researchers increased by 17 percent. 2016 was also characterised by widespread graduation under pre-Bologna programmes, which reflected in almost double the number of graduates.
In research and development, we strived to replace at least in part the modest funding for research by the State by raising the number of European and other foreign projects. We have maintained a high position among the universities of 13 new EU Member States in terms of success in acquiring European projects. Prof. Dr. Tomaž Prosen from the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of the University of Ljubljana won a European Research Council grant for established researchers. In the first half of 2017, Prof. Dr. Marta Verginella from the Faculty of Arts of the University of Ljubljana also won a European Research Council grant. We were successful in the first call from the Smart Specialisation programme and thus acquired some €10 million. Furthermore, the University is included in all newly formed strategic research and innovation partnerships (SRIP). If the quality of research work is measured by citations of published works, we are happy to report that citations of the works produced by our researchers have risen sharply. In 2016, the University’s researchers produced 2,538 articles that were published in journals with the Web of Science (WoS) citation index, which is 134 (six percent) more than in 2015. Researchers may again boast several prominent international achievements, the most globally renowned being the first empirical confirmation of a connection between an infection with Zika virus and brain damage in newborns by researchers from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Ljubljana.
In concern for better working conditions and University operations, we continued activities to improve spatial conditions at academies and some other University Members, design a common business information system and strengthen the internal flow of information. Thanks to somewhat increased public financing, financial conditions of University Members have improved and employee remuneration has increased. A new Statute of the University of Ljubljana was adopted along with legal acts regulating the prevention of conflicts of interests among employees and work outside the University.
A review of the four-year period, i.e. from 2013 to 2017, shows that the University of Ljubljana has successfully pursued the goals set in the 2013-2020 Strategy. At midway, some of the goals, such as to increase the number of foreign students and citations of the works produced by our researchers, have already been surpassed. We have increased the number and value of international projects. We have increased the number of persons included in training programmes. We have established a quality monitoring and assurance system. Several University Members acquired international accreditations for their programmes. The Faculty of Economics of the University of Ljubljana leads the way with a triple international accreditation. Strategic partnerships were concluded with select foreign universities allowing us long-term in-depth cooperation. Conditions for studying were improved with several spatial investments, the largest ones for the Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology and the Faculty of Computer and Information Science of the University of Ljubljana. The energy performance of buildings was improved, where energy accounting was established and real estate management was enhanced. We started regulating the position of teachers working as assistants and fixedterm employees. Internal communication at the University and engagement with its surroundings improved. Upon completion of the term of office, we have provided that the University of Ljubljana is situated even better in the international environment than four years ago, and that its quality was improved in all areas of work.
Rector
