THE SLOVENIAN SCIENCE FOUNDATION AND THE LEVELS OF RTD POLICYMAKING Dr' Edvard KOBAL, Director

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THE SLOVENIAN SCIENCE FOUNDATIONAND THE
LEVELS OF RTD POLICYMAKING Dr. Edvard KOBAL,
Director

• International Conference
• National Science Foundations Views and
  Futures, Sofia (Bulgaria), 29-30 September 2005

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Slovenian Science Foundation

• CO-FOUNDERS OF THE SSF
• The Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts,
  Ljubljana
• University of Ljubljana
• University of Maribor
• Joef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana
• National Institute of Chemistry, Ljubljana
• Krka, d.d., Novo mesto
• Lek, d.d., Ljubljana
• Gorenje, d.d., Velenje
• Mercator, d.d., Ljubljana
• Petrol Trgovina, d.d., Ljubljana
• SKB, d.d., Ljubljana
• Nova Ljubljanska banka, d.d., Ljubljana
• RTV Slovenija, Ljubljana
• CZP Delo, d.d., Ljubljana
• Gospodarski vestnik, d.d., Ljubljana
• Open Society Institute - Slovenia, Ljubljana
• Government of the Republic of Slovenia

• The Slovenian Science Foundation (hereinafter
  SSF) was established in May 1994 by the
  government of the Republic of Slovenia and 16 of
  the most prominent organisations from the fields
  of science, higher education, economics, banking,
  media, and civil society. It was established
  during the first five years of the independent
  and autonomous state of the Republic of Slovenia
  as a permanent investment in the country's
  future.

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The philosophy of the SSF (12 notions)(Dr.
Edvard Kobal, March 2002)
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• The SSF, with its independent investments,
  advances mutuality in
• Slovenian science. In compliance with the volume
  and level of
• agreements made with its co-founders and
  partners, it plans,
• directs, co-ordinates, and leads the chosen
  processes of
• implementing the National Research Programme, the
  
• Programme of Economic Development of Slovenia,
  and
• programmes of the European Science Foundation and
  European
• Union. Investments are directed to all currently
  active
• researchers ? their ideas, initiatives, and
  research project
• proposals. Special attention is given to
  providing information on,
• and increasing public awareness of, the
  developmental role of
• science in society.

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Our values are

• Independent investments. Investments are directed
  to all active researchers (e.g. to support their
  ideas, initiatives, and research proposals).
• Attaining the highest possible results. The
  financial support is awarded to competitive and
  experiences researchers who are excelling in
  basic and applied research.
• Flexibility and transparency. The SSF reacts to
  the needs of researchers and clients with
  flexibility.
• Openness to Europe. The SSF supports the opening
  of Slovenian science community and economy to
  Europe.

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Co-operation with the Government of the Republic
of Slovenia

• GOALS
• To establish the network of organisations that
  support the development of science in Slovenia.
• To establish a knowledge-based society in
  Slovenia.
• To reach the partnership co-operation with the
  Government of the Republic of Slovenia.
• ACTIVITIES
• To develop and reach the program and action plan
  Science and Slovenian Society.
• To manage a part of the Slovenian National
  Research Programme.

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Co-operation with universities

• GOALS
• To attain high visibility of universities as the
  centres of scientific creativity and development
  of new generations of researchers.
• To encourage the establishment of excellent
  education programmes.
• To attain the share of funds for tertiary
  education with an aim to foster the development
  of a knowledge-based society in Slovenia.
• ACTIVITIES
• Independent investments in Slovenian researchers.
  
• Activities to foster the establishment of a
  knowledge-based society in Slovenia (public
  events, media campaigns).

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Co-operation with the Slovenian Academy of
Sciences and Arts and research institutes

• GOALS
• Formation of the Slovenian researchers as
  pan-European researchers.
• Internationalisation of Slovenian science and its
  integration in the European Research and
  Education Area.
• ACTIVITIES
• Encouraging the participation of Slovenian
  researchers in pan-European science policy and
  research (European Science Foundation).
• Fostering the mobility of Slovenian researchers
  in Slovenian, European and global area.
• Co-formation of new generations of Slovenian
  researchers.
• Encouraging the attainment of critical mass of
  researchers in the selected research fields.

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Co-operation with business enterprises

• GOALS
• To develop business enterprises donorship in
  science.
• To develop and strengthen partnership between
  business and governmental sector.
• ACTIVITIES
• To strive towards building the connections
  between curiosity-driven and product-oriented
  research.
• To educate research cadres for economic
  enterprises.
• To enhance public-private partnerships to finance
  research and development of new generation of
  researchers.

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Co-operation with the media

• GOALS
• To make science more visible and heard.
• To encourage people to increase their interest in
  science and chose the life stile that is in sync
  with science.
• To increase peoples awareness about the
  developmental role of science.
• ACTIVITIES
• To present science in the media.
• To develop new forms of science communication.
• To encourage youth to think about the
  developmental role of science (e.g.
  competitions).
• To encourage youth to present their ideas about
  science and scientists.
• Science communication workshops.

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Funding Programs (1)

• Personal development of researchers
• Financial support for scientific training
  (especially) in Europe. The personal development
  of young, perspective, researchers is promoted
  with an aim to attain a critical mass of
  researchers in selected fields.
• Supporting the recognition of researchers
• Financial supports to cover active participation
  in scientific events, primarily in Europe.
• Improving social situation of young researchers
• Fellowships to improve social and economic
  situation of young researchers (doctoral
  students, young doctors of science).
• Inclusion of foreign researchers in Slovenian
  research and development cores
• Fellowships to support the inclusion of foreign
  researchers into Slovenian research and
  development cores in research and business
  organisations.

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Funding Programs (2)

• Fostering research in specific research areas
• With the help of financial support from foreign
  resources, the SSF guides/directs researchers to
  conduct research on specific topics that enable
  further research or other activities (e.g. in the
  area of information technology).
• Contribution to organisational costs
• Co-funding of organisational costs of scientific
  events (e.g. symposiums, conferences, congresses,
  panels, workshops).
• Contribution to publishing costs
• Supports for scientific and popular science
  publications.
• Fellowships for students
• Fellowships for undergraduate and graduate
  students.

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The influence of the SSF on policy making (1)
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The influence of the SSF on policy making (2)
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The influence of the SSF on policy making (3)
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Contact Information

• General
• Dr. Edvard KOBAL, Director
• International Co-operation
• Darja COT, Head
• Address
• The Slovenian Science Foundation
• tefanova 15, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
• Phone [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• E-mail info_at_ustanova-szf.si
• Http//www.ustanova-szf.si

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THANK YOU