Ljubljana, 6 May 2026 – The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Ljubljana held a formal reception to celebrate the Edvard Rusjan Team‘s outstanding success in winning first place at the prestigious Design/Build/Fly 2026 competition in the US with their Brvinc aircraft. A total of 98 universities from around the world took part in the competition, including over 50 of the world’s top-ranked institutions. The team also beat some of the most prestigious universities, including MIT. The reception was attended by Vice-Rector prof. dr. Gregor Dolinar, as well as the deans and associate deans of the faculties that the team members come from.
Success is the result of collaboration
During the reception, prof. dr. Jernej Klemenc, Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at UL, emphasised that such achievements confirm that students at the University of Ljubljana can compete with the best in the world. “We do not follow trends; we help shape them,” he said, adding that these successes are the result of knowledge and collaboration between students from different disciplines.
Tangible results in the time of the virtual world
The Vice-Rector of the University of Ljubljana, prof. dr. Gregor Dolinar, congratulated the team on their outstanding success, emphasising the importance of applying knowledge in practice: “Beating the world’s top universities in such an elite competition is a remarkable achievement. I am particularly pleased to see that you are successfully applying your knowledge to create something tangible in the digital world.” He also emphasised that interdisciplinary teams are the future, and praised the environment that enables students to develop such projects.
Students at the forefront of decision-making
The team’s mentor, senior lecturer dr. Igor Petrović, highlighted the role of mentoring as a form of support and guidance: “We mentors offer advice, but the students make the decisions. This is their work, and we are extremely proud of them for it.” Throughout the project, the team’s guiding principle was to give their all and transform their expertise into a working solution.
From idea to more than 80 test flights
During the presentation, the students also highlighted the aircraft’s challenging development process. The project involved over 80 test flights, ongoing adjustments and improvements, and the overcoming of challenges such as the preparation of extensive technical documentation in English. The key to ultimate success was this combination of technical expertise, perseverance and the ability to learn quickly. Here you can watch their latest mission, the aim of which was to fly as many laps as possible before launching and dropping the flag.
Connecting faculties as the key to success
The Edvard Rusjan Team comprises students from various faculties at the University of Ljubljana, including the faculties of Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Informatics, Mathematics and Physics, Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Biotechnology, and Social Sciences. This demonstrates that exceptional outcomes can arise from the intersection of different fields of study and disciplines.
This achievement once again proves that Slovenian students rank among the world’s best. We sincerely congratulate them and wish them continued success in the future.
Photo: IFP, d.o.o.
