Slovene Science Foundation
Aims and funding
As a national non-governmental institution working in the field of science and through a comprehensive programme of cooperation, especially with related national and international non-governmental science foundations, the Slovene Science Foundation develops and extends international scientific cooperation on behalf of the Slovene scientific community with a view to accelerating and promoting scientific research. Students can apply for grant funding for further study at postgraduate level from the foundation twice a year, in autumn and spring. These grants are subject to the availability of funds.
International cooperation
The Slovene Science Foundation joined the European Science Foundation (ESF) in 1995. ESF programmes supported up to 2003 included Life, Environmental and Earth Sciences, Physical and Engineering Sciences as well as the Humanities (Cultural Exchange in Europe, 1400–1700).
Following a five-year collaboration with the World Federation of Scientists, the foundation organised the 6th Noordung's Forum in 2007, named after and dedicated to the Slovene-born rocket engineer and space flight pioneer Herman Potočnik Noordung.
The foundation also organises the international Slovene Science Festival. The festival has been held since 1994 and is one of the oldest such events in Europe striving to open science to the general public. Each year, the festival is dedicated to a different scientist, event, or occasion. Starting on the 10th od November, which is celebrated as a World Science Day for Peace and Development, the 26th Slovenian Science Festival took place in Ljubljana in 2020 with the slogan "Science and Technology and the Challenges of our Time".