20th Solemn Academy UP, UP 2.0

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20th Solemn Academy UP, UP 2.0

17 March marks the birthday of the University of Primorska, since it was entered in the court register on that day in 2003, and this year marks its 20th anniversary. The celebrations culminate in a gala academy, which this year took place on Thursday, 16 March 2023, and which, along with the awarding of the University's prizes, was a special occasion with the presence of distinguished guests.

The keynote speaker was the European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Mariya Gabriel, she emphasised: »Strong links between your university and your innovation and a focus on interdisciplinary, challenge-based challenges in teaching and research have been and will continue to be continue to be the key to your success.«

The guests were welcomed by Dr. Klavdija Kutnar, Rector of UP, and Katja Kosem, President of the UP Student Council.

»Therefore, we do not fear for the future of the University of Primorska. Because every minute, hour, day, month, year, we act according to the principle “don’t ever stop wondering”, as our anthem says. This gives us the strength to pick ourselves up even when things go wrong and to achieve even better results than we had planned. We draw this strength and resilience right from our name, UP. In the Slovenian language, “up” means “hope”, so there is always an all-pervasive hope and a desire to improve everything we do. And through the English word “up”, by being aware that we have to do it with confidence, looking up.« dr. Klavdija Kutnar, rector.

»(At UP) you have the opportunity to gain some added value, not just tick off a box and get your degree. A university is a home. Not just for us but also for international students who come to Slovenia for the first time and get an idea of the country based on what they experience at our university. Well, we also rather like to travel around. To gain new experiences, acquaintances, knowledge. But we always like to come back home – to the University of Primorska.« Katja Kosem, President of the UP Student Council

Dr. Jean-Pierre Bourguignon also addressed the audience on the occasion of receiving the title of Honorary Doctor of UP and will deliver his inaugural lecture on Friday, the University's birthday, as the 20th Honorary Doctor of UP.

The awards and prizes of the University of Primorska were presented (more: here). The award was presented to our coworker associate professor dr. Metod Šuligoj and to the Master's graduate of the Heritage Tourism study programme Nika Klepec.

On the proposal of the UP FTŠ - Turistica, the 2022 UP Scientific Excellence Award goes to Associate Professor Metod Šuligoj for his outstanding degree of research excellence in tourism and his multifaceted research work.

Metod Šuligoj completed his first PhD at the University of Ljubljana in 2009 and the second one at the Catholic University of Croatia in 2021. He has been working at Faculty of Tourism Studies Turistica since 2010. He demonstrates his scientific excellence by publishing in top-ranked journals beyond the field of tourism and in languages besides English. His articles in Slovenian scientific journals contribute to the development of Slovenian terminology and the promotion of less common topics in Slovenian social sciences and humanities. In 2022, he published four scientific papers, all in indexed journals (SSCI or SCOPUS), and one interdisciplinary monograph. His (usually interdisciplinary) research is conducted both independently and in collaboration with national and international authors, and covers the territory of Slovenia and South-Eastern Europe. His remarkable concern to share his knowledge and experience with younger generations is one of the missions of great researchers. His joint publications in indexed journals prove that he pursues high standards in this area as well. Moreover, he is constantly in contact with practice and presents the solutions he develops within various projects in scientific publications. The integration of all these elements with his successful teaching career tops off his scientific excellence.

On the proposal of the UP FTŠ - Turistica, the 2022 Srečko Kosovel Award for UP Students goes to Nika Klepec for her master’s thesis The Heritage of the Volna Laško Textile Factory and its Museum Interpretation under supervisor Associate Professor Katja Hrobat Virloget and co-supervisor Assistant Professor Neža Čebron Lipovec.

Nika Klepec completed her master’s degree in Heritage Tourism, an interdisciplinary study programme of the UP Faculty of Tourism Studies Turistica and the UP Faculty of Humanities. The thesis includes a scientific analysis and self-critical reflection on preliminary incisive social action activities that the author carried out herself: she interviewed former textile workers from the Volna Laško factory, organised a café soirée (2017) and set up an exhibition (2018), which goes beyond the research students usually conduct for the purposes of a master’s thesis. The thesis highlights the topical issue of local community participation in museum presentations and heritage interpretation, which fits with the contemporary participatory trend of an evolving method. Nika Klepec opted for a process that is very challenging and complex due to the activation of a local community and multiple memories and perceptions, especially for someone only at the beginning of their research journey. From a research point of view, the thesis is particularly topical, as it deals with contemporary issues, such as the post-socialist collapse of industry, the related social restructuring, and the current patrimonialisation process of artefacts dating back to the socialist period.

SPEECH BY RECTOR OF UP prof. dr. Klavdija Kutnar

Dear European Commissioner, dear students, dear rectors and other senior representatives of Slovenian universities, universities from our neighbouring area, the Transform4Europe university alliance and the European Network of Innovative Higher Education Institutions. I also wish to extend a warm welcome to the President of the National Council of the Republic of Slovenia, the President of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, the Bishop of the Diocese of Koper, Ministers Igor Papič and Darjo Felda, and the directors of public research institutions. Welcome also to all other friends of our University who are here with us today.

Thank you very much for accepting our invitation to join us in celebrating the 20^th anniversary of the University of Primorska. Twenty years is a short time within the whole process of establishing an academic institution, a university, and yet we have so much to show for it. As the fourth Rector of the University of Primorska, I would like to thank my predecessors, Professor Lucija Čok, Professor Rado Bohinc and Professor Dragan Marušič on behalf of the entire academic community. Thank you for having laid the foundations during the first 16 years, each in your own way, each with a different approach, vision and strategy – all of which has enabled us to make significant developmental shifts in recent years. Thank you for joining us today, all three of you.

Every year, at the Annual Ceremony, we first look back at the year we have left behind. So, let me start by pointing out that there are 5,745 students enrolled in the academic year 2022/2023, almost a fifth of whom are international. They come from 45 different countries. We carry out 79 study programmes, 16 of which are held in English.

On the last day of 2022, the University had 730 employees, 437 women and 293 men. Among higher education teachers and researchers, just over 12% are foreign nationals (from 26 different countries). In terms of cash flow, we received €39.2 million in 2022, which is €3.5 million more compared to 2021. The University of Primorska has awarded 19 honorary doctorates so far. It is a great honour and pleasure for me to have the opportunity today, on the occasion of the 20^th anniversary celebration, to confer the 20^th honorary doctorate on a top mathematician, Academic Professor Jean-Pierre Bourguignon.

After 20 years of successful growth, we now have a strong international presence, and some of our niche fields are at the forefront of global research advances.

The establishment of InnoRenew CoE, an independent, internationally renowned research institute that contributes significantly to Slovenia’s innovation success, and the construction of the largest wooden building in Slovenia are certainly among our most prominent stories. We have written them through funding from the EU Teaming instrument, with the support and guidance of our advanced partner, the Fraunhofer WKI Institute from Germany, in collaboration with seven Slovenian institutions, diverse in type and content: the Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute, the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia, the University of Maribor, the Pulp and Paper Institute, the Regional Development Agency of the Ljubljana Urban Region, EuroCloud Slovenia and the National Institute of Public Health.

The first 20 years of our University’s journey have seen many other important developmental breakthroughs. Let me highlight just three of them from last year.

First, we became a member of the European Network of Innovative Higher Education Institutions.

Secondly, we became an associate member of the Transform4Europe university alliance and I am sure that everything will work out and we will become a full member in a few months’ time, so our European university will continue to thrive.

And finally, in partnership with the Škocjan Caves Regional Park, our University established the UNESCO Chair of Interpretation and Education for Enhancing Integrated Heritage Approaches.

How to proceed? In line with the motto “OpenUP to new innovations 2.0”, which we have chosen to celebrate our 20^th anniversary, we will continue to be youthful, flexible, dynamic, in short, bold. So, among other things, this year, during the European Year of Skills, we will launch the first Hub of the New European Bauhaus Academy in collaboration with the European Commission, thus accelerating the implementation of the European Green Deal and the New European Bauhaus.

Therefore, we do not fear for the future of the University of Primorska. Because every minute, hour, day, month, year, we act according to the principle “don’t ever stop wondering”, as our anthem says. This gives us the strength to pick ourselves up even when things go wrong and to achieve even better results than we had planned. We draw this strength and resilience right from our name, UP. In the Slovenian language, “up” means “hope”, so there is always an all-pervasive hope and a desire to improve everything we do. And through the English word “up”, by being aware that we have to do it with confidence, looking up.

So, let us continue to walk boldly and happily upwards!

Thank you.

Speech by European Commissioner prof. dr. Mariya Garbiel

I am very honoured to be here at the Solemn Academy of the University of Primorska on the very special occasion of its 20th anniversary

It is a real pleasure to be with you to celebrate all that your young, innovative, and dynamic university has already achieved, and to look forward to a very promising future.

The intense connection of your university to your innovation ecosystem, and the emphasis on a challenge-based interdisciplinary approach in teaching and research have certainly been and will continue to be the key to success.

The University of Primorska is rightly recognised as a key player among innovative universities in Europe. This is evidenced by two important milestones:
- joining as an associate partner to the European University
Transform4Europe
- and being selected as the Slovenian member of the European
Network of Innovative Higher education Institutions.

These two milestones indeed seem very faithful to your innovative and creative spirit. Another success that I would like to highlight is, of course, the InnoRenew Centre of Excellence, which your university coordinates. I want to congratulate you for the work you have done so far on
renewable materials and healthy environments, and for the true ecosystem that you have created. InnoRenew is considered a true European success story for connecting academia to industry, for the direct benefits of our economy and citizens!

These multiple achievements of the University of Primorska are very meaningful to me: your success is European. Yours is the story of an 2/4 institution whose ambition has materialised by committing to Europe and seizing opportunities across borders. This is also a story of a university that ties deeper into its surrounding community, into its ecosystem. This resonates with my vision for higher education, research and innovation in Europe.

A vision we can achieve together using the transformative potential of European initiatives and funding opportunities. After all, the European project has always been about boosting our ambition, pooling resources, striving for more, and innovating together. And this is exactly what we have put at the core of the European Strategy for Universities and the New European Innovation Agenda – two initiatives very dear to my heart.

The European strategy for universities promotes the capacity of higher education institutions to engage in transnational cooperation. It seeks to prepare students with skills that match the current and future needs of their innovation ecosystems, especially transversal
competences such as green, digital, and entrepreneurial skills. Let me give you just a few examples:

First, the strategy calls for the integration of innovative approaches to learning and teaching, such as ‘living labs’. This will enhance students’ critical thinking, problem-solving and entrepreneurial skills. Second, we strive to boost the Erasmus+ traineeships abroad, with
up to 100,000 trainees every year, in start-ups and entrepreneurial organisations.

Third, we support the development of incubators within universities in close cooperation with the entrepreneurial sector. We want to help student entrepreneurs grow their ideas into businesses.
At the same time, the New European Innovation Agenda aims to lead this new wave of innovation that is on its way.

We must be ready for deep tech innovation, rooted in cutting edge science, technology, and engineering. The Innovation Agenda will help Europe develop new technologies to tackle society’s most pressing challenges and bring them to market. But for that we also need to further develop our talent base. And this will be the task of the Deep Tech Talent initiative. It aims to train one 3/4 million talents in advanced technological fields by 2025 with the support of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology.

The EIT will update its talent and skills development programmes to match the needs of deep technology areas, ranging from new materials and synthetic biology to clean technologies. In this process, larger scale companies as well as other industry representatives will inform curricula to ensure that it responds to changing labour market
needs.

Another example - we are creating opportunities for researchers and innovators to gain work experience in successful innovative start-ups and companies. The EIC and EIT develop an innovation intern scheme to create these opportunities for over 600 researchers by
2024, and this is to be extended to EIT identified students and
graduates in the future.

I am glad that we have created the European strategy for universities and the Innovation Agenda together with the higher education and research sector. We are now fully engaged, together again, in the implementation of these forward-looking policy initiatives.

And when I meet an institution like the University of Primorska, when I am given the opportunity to observe not only your achievements but also your energy for the future, I am confident that we will succeed in achieving our vision. All this of course with the support of the EU and
our Member States.

The support at EU level has always been key. Support provided through our programmes, like Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe. Through our policies. And through institutions, like the European
Research Council, that make sure our funding gets in the right hands, and give us so much feedback to improve our policies. Indeed, we have Professor Bourguignon here today. He, too, is emblematic of the success we are celebrating.

Dear Jean-Pierre, your intelligence, dedication, and commitment during your seven years as President of the European Research Council, serving and shaping excellence in European science, have been an inspiration.

You are a brilliant mathematician, and it seems most appropriate that today the Honorary doctorate of the University of Primorska will be given to you by another mathematician, Rector Klavdija Kutnar, also 4/4 committed, through this innovative institution, to make European
science flourish.

The success of European higher education, of European science, and of our European way of life, have always hinged on a society that connects knowledge and the power to use it, the freedom to pursue the right questions, and to bring the answers to an ever-greater community.

This has been the example of Jean-Pierre’s leadership at the European Research Council, and it is this same example of success that we can all glimpse here at the University of Primorska.

So, I wish the whole community of the University of Primorska a beautiful 20th anniversary, as beautiful as the future you are building, for yourselves and for everyone in Europe.

Thank you very much

20th Solemn Academy UP, UP 2.0

20UP: Prof. Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner