We are pleased to announce that Prof. dr. Niko Herakovič, Full Professor at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ljubljana, was elected on 24 April 2025 as President of the Governing Board of the University of Ljubljana for the term of office 2025-2029.
A top expert with groundbreaking achievements
Prof. dr. Herakovič is one of the most prominent figures in Slovenian research and expertise in industrial automation, smart factories and knowledge transfer to business. He is the Head of the LASIM laboratory at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at UL and holds the Chair of Manufacturing Technologies and Systems department. He received his PhD in 1995 from RWTH Aachen University in Germany, one of Europe’s leading technical universities.
His career includes extensive experience in both academia and industry. He has worked in industry for several years and was Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport (MEST) for four years. He has also been a member and chairman of various boards and professional associations at home and abroad.
His bibliography includes more than 750 scientific and technical articles and conference papers, and he has participated in more than 50 national and international research and industrial projects. He has been a guest lecturer at several renowned universities abroad, where he has also been involved in development projects in the field of automation and digitisation.
Groundbreaking projects that put Slovenia on the smart industry map
One of his greatest achievements is his involvement in the establishment of Yaskawa’s first European robot factory in Slovenia. He and his research team developed an integrated production and logistics system for the Japanese company Yaskawa Electric, which was designed in a digital environment using digital twin technology and artificial intelligence before physical construction had even begun. This pioneering approach has won the 2019 Puh Prize, the country’s highest national award for achievement in the technical sciences.
Within LASIM, he and his colleagues have also established the first and only functioning smart factory demonstration centre in Slovenia, based on digital twins and artificial intelligence. This centre is an important platform for the development, testing and transfer of knowledge into practice.
At the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at UL and at the whole University of Ljubljana, we are proud that Prof. dr. Niko Herakovič will continue his rich professional, research and leadership career as Chairman of the UL Governing Board. We are confident that his vision, networking and international experience will make an important contribution to the development of the University and its reputation at home and abroad.
Sincere congratulations and much success in your new responsible position!
Prof. Dr. Niko Herakovič (Photo: Personal Archive)