The National Institute of Chemistry and the University of Nova Gorica - signing of agreements, strenghtening of research and educational cooperation

The two research and academic institutions have thus additionally strenghtened the existing excellent cooperation, going back to the very foundation of the University three decades ago.

The signing of the two agreements represents an important step towards deepening the connections between the research and academic environment, opening up new opportunities for a mutual creation of excellent knowledge. The celebratory signing was accompanied by a review of the cooperation between the Institute and the University and a presentation on the doctoral study programme in Materials, which the University of Nova Gorica has been carrying out in cooperation with the National Institute of Chemistry.

»Universities are spaces in which excellent young staff members can develop, some of them can turn out to be future scientists, who might, one day, take a path of independent research. That is why a close cooperation between universities and research-scientific institutions is crucial. At the National Institute of Chemistry we are very much aware of the meaning of this process, so we have strongly endeavoured, throughout the years, to continue with such a close cooperation both within the higher education study programmes and research connections. The strenghtened cooperation between our two institutions enables a uniting of knowledge and research capabilities, bringing about better results and more efficient research and encouraging a wholesome approach towards solving the challenges of the contemporary society. All this leads to a greater scientific excellence and, at the same time, strenghtens the international reputation of both institutions,« Prof. Dr. Gregor Anderluh, director of the National Institute of Chemistry, pointed out.

»Considering the current human resources issues as well as, up to a point, financial and infrastructural conditions in the academic sphere, we have - along with other, geopolitical and natural givens - an opportunity to establish Slovenia, within the European and wider context, as a recognisable centre of higher education teaching and research-innovation activity. This could be made possible, however, only through a cooperation of all institutions of knowledge, primarily through a closer union of higher education and excellent research institutions. Today’s agreement, in fact, confirms only ‘de jure’ the excellent cooperation between our University and the National Institute of Chemistry, which we have been carrying out successfully, 'de facto', over the many years now. The cooperation is concerned with the study programmes of higher degrees, which without a close link to research work can be neither excellent nor interesting to home and international students. At UNG we are convinced that it is only with such a close cooperation between research and educational institutions, and with research-development activities that are carried out at both insitutions, that we can successfully transfer current knowledge to new generations; these generations use the acquired knowledge, with an exceptional imagination, in new fields and thus create the so called future professions,« said Prof. Dr. Boštjan Golob, rector of the University of Nova Gorica.

Cooperation between the National Institute of Chemistry and the University of Nova Gorica

Cooperation between the University of Nova Gorica and the National Institute of Chemistry has been active for more than three decades now, from the very first years of the University’s foundation. In the beginning, in 1995 professof Venčeslav Kaučič started having lectures in chemistry at the School of Environmental Sciences. Later on, in 2003 Prof. Dr. Nataša Zabukovec Logar was habilitated for the field of chemistry; then Prof. Dr. Nataša Novak Tušar and Prof. Simona Golič for the field of materials; and Prof. Jože Grdadolnik and Prof. Gregor Mali for the field of physics.

In 2017, in cooperation with the National Institute of Chemistry, a masters degree programme in Materials was introduced; it was led by Prof. Dr. Nataša Zabukovec Logar from 2017 to 2024, while in 2020 the doctoral programme in Materials was introduced, led by Prof. Dr. Nataša Novak Tušar. The National Institute of Chemistry has offered support in this study programme primarily with an access to superior research infrastructure needed for the implementation of the programme. A few more novice researchers from the National Institute of Chemistry have been habilitated within these study programmes, and some new habilitations have been planned in the meantime.

For the National Institute of Chemistry the opportunity for academic habilitation and participation in educational work is a highly important part of cooperation, while for the University of Nova Gorica this means that the students may carry out their practice sessions and demontrations on numerous advanced research machines. In this way, the students get to know the process of working within various projects, including the international ones. Not only do the research staff members from the National Institute of Chemistry contribute with their teaching but they also actively participate in various university boards and committees. Currently Prof. Dr. Nataša Novak Tušar is member of the University of Nova Gorica Senate, while Prof. Dr. Nataša Zabukovec Logar is president of the University’s Governing board.

At the same time, an exceptional importance is attached to scientific cooperation. Since the very beginnings of UNG, we have closely been cooperating with Prof. Dr. Iztok Arčon, namely in the research field of porous catalysts and adsorbents as well as the development of batteries. Lately, we have seen our mutual cooperation in other fields as well - NMR, chemical engineering, modelling, process engineering, etc. So far we have participated in a number of ARIS projects; currently we take part in two projects related to gravitation in the field of semi-conductors and technologies for energy storage.

»The signing of the agreements formalises the many years of successful cooperation between the National Institute of Chemistry and the University of Nova Gorica in both educational and scientific fields. A strong international dimension and focus of the University of Nova Gorica on research excellence, as well as openness and support to the colleagues from the National Institute of Chemistry to be proactively involved in the educational process, have led, over the past years, to unique scientific results, awarded doctoral theses and new study programmes. We are looking forward to working further in mutual research in the fields of environmental and energy technologies, and to exchanching professional knowledge and resources. And most of all, we are looking forward to new opportunities for co-creating educational activities in the fields which are of key importance for the National Institute of Chemistry, including academic habilitations and mentoring roles,« Prof. Dr. Nataša Zabukovec Logar, Head of the Department for anorganic chemistry and technology at the National Institute of Chemistry, pointed out.

Doctoral study programme in Materials

The doctoral study programme in Materials is an interdisciplinary, research oriented programme, adapted to the needs of industrial development. It enables the students to acquire knowledge and skills for creating versatile types of materials, from their synthesis to characterisation; and to acquire an understanding of the relationship among material structure, features and activity. The programme also includes the study contents related to the development of materials applicable in energy and environmental technologies.

The key aim of the programme is to educate excellent and capable researchers. Students acquire theoretical knowledge, numerical skills and experience in experimental work, characterisation and planning of the development of materials for targeted use. The organised forms of study enable the preparation of an individual study and research programme, which the student creates together with their mentor. The study programme is tied to the ECTS credit system, providing an opportunity for choosing subjects from other doctoral programmes of the Graduate School of the University of Nova Gorica and from suitably accredited programmes of other universities.

The students are actively involved in the research work of the laboratories and centres of the University of Nova Gorica and partner institutions, such as National Institute of Chemistry and Jožef Stefan Institute in Ljubljana. The programme holders are, with their research work in the field of material design, development and characterisation, acclaimed in the global, international context. The study is internationally comparable and competitive within the international context, providing good educational opportunities for foreign students.

»The graduates of the doctoral study programme in Matetials are equipped for independent planning and development of versatile types of materials for targeted use. With the acquired knowledge and competences we can continue our work at universities, research institutes and industrial developmental departments both in Slovenia and abroad. For preservation, upgrade and competitivness of Slovenian technologies we would need on the labour market competent experts, capable of solving most complex technological and developmental challenges in the field of development of new materials and technologies. On this occasion, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to professor Iztok Arčon, long-standing dean of the University of Nova Gorica, for all his support and cooperation in establishing and creating the doctoral study programme in Materials«, pointed out Prof. Dr. Nataša Novak Tušar, head of the Laboratory for catalysts at the Department for anorganic chemistry and technology at the National Institute of Chemistry, and director of the doctoral study programme in Materials at the University of Nova Gorica.