Our common goal will be to maintain the course of progress and to build on it with new energy, knowledge, and a fresh look to the future. If we walk this path together and united, even difficult challenges can be turned into opportunities.
The new management takes office at a time of growth and good prospects for further development. Our common goal will be to maintain the course of progress and to build on it with new energy, knowledge, and a fresh look to the future. If we walk this path together and united, even difficult challenges can be turned into opportunities.
Recently, we have successfully implemented the renewed study programmes, digitised them, and set an example of good practice within the University of Ljubljana. We have demonstrated our effectiveness in NOO projects (Ultra), integrated sustainable and digital content into our studies, introduced a military module and set up Peskovnik, an open laboratory that fosters innovation and extracurricular activities among students. We have intensified our cooperation with industry and research institutions and have also started to engage with the non-economic sector, as demonstrated by the signing of a memorandum with the police and a plan with the Slovenian Armed Forces. In the research field, we have had success with the GreenTech project and have submitted several joint applications for major projects.
The incredible engineering talent we bring to society is our most important contribution. Our alumni ensure a high level of technological development in society and, alongside our researchers, promote the values we live at the Faculty. Adequate management of the study process is therefore an important factor in our future performance.
Research remains and will continue to be a vital part of the Faculty. More than half of our total income is generated through programme teams and research projects. These resources enable us to deliver world-class scientific achievements, to recruit competent researchers and to make strategic investments in top-class research equipment. We will expand our existing research platforms with Aeronautics and Defence, which opens the door to collaborations in the fields of aerospace and defence technologies, with increased added value and more funding opportunities than ever before.
2025 will also mark the end of the Faculty’s current strategy. We will carefully develop a new strategy, involving all stakeholders. The main questions we will ask ourselves are: Who are we and where do we want to go? This will be the foundation for our future position both within the University of Ljubljana and in the wider social and economic context. We will link our new strategy to the modernisation of habilitation conditions, which will continue to be based on excellence, while at the same time allowing for greater transparency, predictability and reduced administrative burden.
Ambitious goals and complex challenges await us. But with our knowledge, experience and commitment, I am confident that we will find the right way. We are an important part of social and economic development, and it is our responsibility to actively help shape the future with vision and commitment – for ourselves, for our students and for society as a whole. Or, as Abraham Lincoln said, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
I am grateful for your trust and your efforts so far. I look forward to continuing our work together, shaping the positive story of our Faculty.