E-magazine Moja Slovenija May 2019 by Moja slovenija

E-magazine | May 2019

Slovenian stories from home and abroad

Minister Ä&#x152;esnik and State Secretary Belec

Duo for the future

JoĹžef Stefan Institute

Doors wide open for Slovenians from around the world 1

Notranjska Regional Park

Ecological biotic and landscape jewel

Welcome Home 2019 This year's traditional Welcome Home event will be held in Radovljica on 6 July. The event will be held under the honorary sponsorship of President of the Republic of Slovenia Borut Pahor.

We will host performances by various musical and folk dance groups and choirs, exhibitions, a meeting of junior researchers, presentations of award-winning diploma and master's theses, football matches, a hike to Mt Triglav... Trips around Radovljica will also be organised.

Compatriots in the neighbouring countries and around the world, you are invited to join us on that day. Together, we will create a diverse and rich cultural and sports programme.

Contact person: Jasmina Ilič Draković Mobile phone: 00386 40 150518 E-mail: sim@zdruzenje-sim.si; jasmina.ilic@zdruzenje-sim.si

This year's event is organised by the associations of expatriates Slovenska Izseljenska Matica, the Slovenian World Congress, Slovenija v Svetu and Rafaelova Družba, under the sponsorship of the Government Office for Slovenians Abroad.

The meeting is funded by the Government Office for Slovenians Abroad, the Municipality of Radovljica and the tourism company Turizem Radovljica. Also supporting the event are the National and University Library (NUK) and the Slovenian Philharmonic.

Dear fans of Slovenian mountains,

The Office for Slovenians Abroad invites you to a climb of Mt Triglav as part of the Welcome Home event. The climb will take place from Wednesday, 3 July, to Friday, 5 July, and is suitable for healthy climbers with good stamina.

The application form, the invitation, a list of equipment needed for the climb and all other details are available HERE

// FROM THIS ISSUE

MINISTER ČESNIK AND STATE SECRETARY BELEC

DUO FOR THE FUTURE

INSTITUT JOŽEF STEFAN

DOORS WIDE OPEN FOR SLOVENIANS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

NOTRANJSKA REGIONAL PARK

ECOLOGICAL BIOTIC AND LANDSCAPE JEWEL

Moja Slovenija www.slovenci.si PUBLISHER

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The Office of the Republic of Slovenia for Slovenians Abroad

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Blanka Markovič Kocen

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// CURRENT TOPICS

Slovenian Entrepreneurship Across Borders - Braving Challenges to Succeed  Dr. Zvone Žigon

Minister for Slovenians Abroad Peter J. Česnik and State Secretary Olga Belec took part in Braving Challenges to Succeed, a business conference which took place on 22 May, in Eberndorf/Dobrla Vas near Klagenfurt, Austria. The conference was organised as part of the European project Connect SME Plus by the Slovenian Economic Union from Klagenfurt. It was funded and co-organised by the Office for Slovenians Abroad. This was the 11th conference in a series of international business conferences co-organised by the Office for Slovenians Abroad under the banner Slovenian Entrepreneurship Across Borders. It featured around 160 Slovenian businessmen and representatives of companies from Slovenia and Austria, but also Italy, Hungary and other countries. The organisers, praised for the concept and contents of the conference, recorded at least 50 business-to-business meetings.

The participants were welcomed by Minister Česnik, Jürgen Mandl, president of the Carinthian Chamber of Commerce, regional councillor Sebastian Schuschnig, Jakob Strauss, second president of the regional parliament and mayor, and Benjamin Wakounig, president of the Slovenian Economic Union from Klagenfurt. A special section of Slovenian Entrepreneurship Across Borders featured presentations by the Office for Slovenians Abroad (Zvone Žigon, Robert Kojc and Dejan Valentinčič), the VTIS Association of Slovenians Studying Abroad (Ana Vedenik), the RASK development agency from Hungary's Monošter/Szentgotthárd (Viktorija Anžek), the SLO-CRO business club from Zagreb (Saša Muminović) and the Slovenian Regional Economic Asso-

ciation (SDGZ) from Trieste (Andrej Šik). Maja Makovec Brenčič, a professor at the Ljubljana Faculty of Economics and a former education minister, spoke about cooperation between small and medium-sized companies. The round-table discussion Millennials about Challenges and Opportunities, moderated by Tomaž Ogris (MAJOR TOM), abounded in interesting ideas. It brought together young entrepreneurs from the Slovenian and Austrian sides of Carinthia: Alexander Mann (SGZmladina), Aljaž Verhovnik (Youth Council from Ravne na Koroškem), Ana Tijssen (pianist and piano teacher), Jernej Dvoršak

ternational economic cooperation, including with Slovenian business people abroad. This is also an area where the Office for Slovenians Abroad has been active. Its aim is to bring together companies from Slovenia as well as business clubs, Slovenian companies and organisations promoting economic cooperation from abroad. The Slovenian economy is eager for new contacts, including with Slovenian partners outside Slovenia, which could present an important moment to enter new markets. The Office organised ten business conference in 20122018 featuring economic organisations from neighbouring countries as well as Slovenian business clubs, other

◀ Family photo of participants of roundtable debates. PHOTO: USZS ▶ Minister Peter J. Česnik delivers the address. PHOTO: USZS

(BABEG Kärntner Betriebsansiedlungs & Beteiligungs) and Nastja Uranc Praper (UR-NA). Meinrad Höfferer (Carinthian Chamber of Commerce) and Zoran Stamatovski (SPIRIT Slovenia) presented reasons and opportunities for investing in Carinthia and Slovenia, respectively. The closing round table, How to Be Successful Across the Border, which was moderated by Marian Wakounig from the Austrian Finance Ministry, featured Alexander Novak (BKS Bank AG), Bernhard Reiter (cooperative Market GmbH), Blaž Šlemič (Unija Consulting), Jakob Graschan (PANACEO International Active Mineral Production) and Štefan Pavlinjek (Roto Group). Once it achieved the majority of its political goals such as membership of international organisations in the 1990s and 2000s, Slovenia started focussing on encouraging in-

associations, business people of Slovenian descent and Slovenia's honorary consuls from Germany, Switzerland, Slovakia, Czechia, Serbia, Luxembourg, Canada, China, Australia plus neighbouring Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia. It was in the autumn 2016 in Munich that the Slovenian Entrepreneurship Across Borders project was taken outside Slovenia for the first time, and in 2017, the Office took part in organising the first such event in Milan. A major conference in Austria had been planned for a while, especially after last year's 30th anniversary of the Slovenian Economic Union from Klagenfurt. To organise the conferences, the Office for Slovenians Abroad works closely with chambers of commerce and small business as well as with development agencies from the region where a particular conference is organised.

// CURRENT TOPICS

Record turnout at annual get-together in Germany The main annual get-together of the Slovenian diaspora in Germany was held in mid-May in Langenaregen at Boden Lake. The 24th meeting of Slovenian associations, Catholic missions, teachers, social workers, and members of folk dance groups and choirs featured more than 100 participants, a record number in recent years.

Minister for Slovenians Abroad Peter J. Česnik outlined the complex issues faced by Slovenians abroad and presented some new and original solutions. The participants praised the event, which was held in a very friendly and hospitable atmosphere. It was organised by the Slovenian Culture and Sport Association Planinka from Ravensburg. Its vice president Tomaž Šijanec stepped in to represent president Franc Žmavc, who could not attend. Valerija Perša, the president of the body coordinating Slovenian associations in south Germany, also played a role in organising the event. The event was supported with funds and know-how by the the Office for Slovenians Abroad and the Consulate General in Munich, with Slovenian Ambassador to Germany Franc But and Consul General in Munich Dragica Urtelj both in attendance.

The meeting featured the majority of Slovenian associations from Germany, a great majority of teachers of Slovenian language from Germany and two from Switzerland, all of whom presented their activities. There was a lot of interest in a discussion on consular protection of Slovenian citizens, especially in taxation, which was moderated by Slovenian diplomats Irena Vrečko Toplak and Andreja Horvat. Striking a chord with those interested in the less down-to-earth side of human soul was Mira Delavec Touhami, who spoke about the role women in Slovenia played in the 19th and 20th centuries, and Tjaša Kos, who presented the psychological dimension of living abroad.

â&#x2013;˛ The participants were also addressed by Ambassador to Germany Franc But.

â&#x2013;ź The mixed choir of adults and children signing.

// IN FOCUS

Minister P. Česnik: Administrative barriers hamper reintegration of expatriates  Blanka Markovič Kocen

Minister for Slovenians Abroad Peter Česnik is convinced that following independence, Slovenia has been far from fully utilising its immense potential, and that eliminating administrative barriers is what needs to be done to reintegrate expatriates in the homeland. »Everybody wants enough work, in particular enough well-paid work for all our citizens, but this is not possible at the moment due to one reason or another,« State Secretary Olga Belec meanwhile comments on the emigration of young people.

It will be exactly a year in June since the parliamentary election which resulted in the government of Marjan Šarec, which was sworn in three months later, on 13 September 2018. Peter Jožef Česnik was appointed to the post of the minister for Slovenians abroad, while Olga Belec was named state secretary at the Government Office for Slovenians Abroad. Given Česnik's experience as an emigrant and Belec's as a member of the Slovenian minority in a neighbouring country, they are a tandem which is reliably cruising through the term. After finishing school in Ljubljana, Peter Česnik went to Australia in 1967 and lived there for 36 years. He

finished an air traffic control academy in Melbourne and got a job as a fleet controller at Trans Australia Airlines - Qantas in 1971. He spent 32 years there, working in Melbourne and Sydney. In 2018, he was elected an MP in the snap general election. While living abroad, he was always in touch with his homeland and promoted it. He is still connected with Slovenians around the world today. Olga Belec graduated from the Faculty of Administration at the University of Ljubljana. She has successfully worked in business for 25 years, mainly in managerial posts. For the last 15 years, she was a successful manager in tourism and

hospitality industry. Her managerial skills have also been indispensable in her current job. In an interview for Moja Slovenija, Česnik and Belec take stock of the first eight months of their work at the Office and discuss some topical issues related to Slovenians in neighbouring countries and the diaspora. Minister, after living in Australia for 36 years, how do you perceive your emigrant experience from today's perspective? What it is like to be a Slovenian abroad? Every individual (and community) goes through different periods in life. On this life path, we gain

experience - both good and bad. This experience can be used as a stepping stone for further development, or as a tool for self-defence. Everything depends on the individual and on the circumstances. Slovenians today have it easier abroad than they had it 60 years ago, primarily because they are educated, which they complement wit the proficiency in foreign languages. Nevertheless, emigrants live in a society where people speak a different language and have different customs and systems. Life is different than in the homeland. You become a kind of an island in the ocean... You are far from the home coast... Today, as you look at Slovenia from up close, where do you see its development prospects? In the previous system, the red or grey system as some call it, Slovenia was labelled as Switzerland of the Balkans. Today we are just working hard like the Swiss. After gaining independence, we had immense potential, which is far from being utilised. This potential has slipped out of our hands - often owing to some, in my opinion crooked and greedy individuals. Politics used to cherish and protect such people and turn a blind eye... We have a law about incest, but we don't have a law about incestuous politics. Ms Belec, in your native environment you were probably meeting a lot of Slovenians who migrated on the daily basis to work abroad. Do you think that people should stay at home or is an such experience positive for an individual? My home town is Dornbirn in Austria, where my father and mother moved in search for work, to be later joined by both of my elder

// IN FOCUS brothers, who still live in Austria. One lives in Vienna, and the other has stayed in Dornbirn. After a few years, my parents returned to Slovenia, which is why I attended all levels of school in the homeland. I was getting acquainted with life outside Slovenia's borders all the time. From age 7, I would visit my brothers in Austria every year during holidays, and I lived in the Goričko region, which is practically on the tri-border area between Slovenia, Austria and Hungary. Porabje in the far east of Hungary is the closest to me, which is why I have been familiar with the topic of emigration and Slovenians in the neighbouring country for all my life. Another thing is the daily migration of Slovenians (people from Prekmurje in my case) who work across the border. I personally know dozens of people who commute daily to work in Austria, and my son is among them. Of course, such an experience is in any case primarily an individual experience, good for some and bad for others. Everybody wants enough work, in particular enough well-paid work for all our citizens, but this is not possible at the moment due to one reason or another. You cannot force people to stay at home if you cannot provide them with equal working conditions, although they would rather work at home for less money. Minister Česnik, how the personal connections with Slovenians around the world and expertise in the topic help you in your current job? Of course this is helpful, there's no doubt about that. The sentimental dimension of our attitude towards our people living outside Slovenia's

▲ Peter J. Česnik, minister: “Slovenians all around the world are happy to be receive a visit from a government representative who listens to them and explains what can and what cannot be so easily done.” PHOTO: USZS

borders is present all the time. In recent years, around 9,000 people have left Slovenia yearly, mostly young people. In other words - more than one-fifth of an entire generation, or more than the entire number of people employed in the Slovenian army, emigrates every year. Minister, how can we stop this trend and at the same time encourage emigrants who have gained new experience and knowledge to return home?

the left and right, and the result is that young people, who don't want to deal with recent history and legal disturbances, choosing to look for their place under the sun in the wider world. As long as Slovenia has so many administrative barriers hampering the reintegration of emigrants in the home country - here I mean investments in property or companies - there will be no incentive for people or capital to return.

Government has the duty to make this happen. »When two are fighting, the third wins ...« There is this constant fight in Slovenia between

Have you or will you introduce any key changes in the office's strategy during your term? What will your main goals be?

investments in Slovenia by expatriates. And this is where we return to politics, as I already mentioned before... State secretary: Investments are an important factor facilitating economic development. Foreign and, of course, domestic investments help every country and its economy create new jobs, reduce unemployment and, consequently, develop new knowledge and technology. For this purpose, an investment promotion law has been passed in a bid to boost investments and keep Slovenia competitive, as we all know that both foreign and domestic companies expand their business in environments where they have better opportunity for growth and development.

▲ Olga Belec, state secretary: “You cannot force people to stay at home if you cannot provide them with equal working conditions, although they would rather work at home for less money.” PHOTO: USZS

The office functions well. I don't see the need for major change, although it would be nice to be better funded. I prioritise Slovenians in neighbouring countries and Slovenians who stayed on the territory of the former Yugoslavia. The latter are getting preferential treatment primarily because they represent the Slovenian community on the territory which was amputated from the body as a consequence of the decisions of the »great« powers, the winners of both world wars. Slovenians on the territory of the former joint state (not Slovenians in the neighbouring countries) are still part of the Slovenian nation.

They can become a bridge, for instance between Slovenia and Serbia, in particular in business, which is important. In Slovenia, we constantly lament about the lack of foreign investments, while several hundred thousand Slovenians live around the world. Except for a few, they have no significant interest in investing in the home country. Why is this so and how can we encourage foreign investors to invest here? Minister: As I've already said - administrative barriers, tax policy etc. are the main reasons for the lack of

Our country needs investments which bring high value added, which means that we should learn how to attract experts with the right know-how and proper competences. This requires a national education strategy which would provide students with a range of knowledge that our economy needs the most. I personally believe that we need to simplify regulations, eliminate administrative barriers, preserve tax breaks for investments, make changes in taxation of personal income, and incentivise local environments to be more active in attracting investors. I think that the Public Agency for Entrepreneurship, Internationalisation, Foreign Investments and Technology SPIRIT Slovenija is doing a good job in this respect, as it keeps tabs on what motivates foreign investors in Slovenia and what obstacles they face in the process.

// IN FOCUS Does the office expect systemic aid from the Economy Ministry, or perhaps also from the Foreign Ministry, in making business connections? Minister: Not only one ministry - it is the sum of all departments - because the office is part of the government team and this is why inter-departmental cooperation is a must. The Ministry of Eduction alone contributes more than two million euros a year for education of Slovenians abroad in the Slovenian language. State secretary: We expect and wish for good inter-departmental cooperation in all fields. Ever since we took office, we have been in talks with the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology and other departments about the possibility of Slovenian investments in the neighbouring countries. There have been at least two expressions of interest, but let's talk about this some other time, this is all still very preliminary. In what fields do you want to cooperate with the parliamentary Commission for Slovenians Abroad? Minister: The parliamentary Commission for Slovenians Abroad is my window to the world of Slovenians in the neighbouring countries and the diaspora, and vice versa - it is a window to the Slovenian National Assembly. Cooperation takes place in more than one field. There are many - be it bilinguality or scholarships for students from neighbouring countries and the diaspora, or cooperation with Slovenian sport organisations from abroad. This is where politics comes into play, as the Commission represents a link between politics and Slovenians abroad.

State secretary: The parliamentary Commission for Slovenians Abroad is a link between us and the National Assembly. The fields in which we cooperate are diverse and multi-faceted, but the most important thing is monitoring the situation of Slovenians in neighbouring countries and the diaspora, and monitoring cooperation between civil society organisations and Slovenians abroad. This cooperation has been excellent so far and we would like to see it develop further in all fields covered by the Office and the Commission. You also made several important visits to Slovenians abroad since the start of your term. What was their purpose? Can you summarise your impressions? What do you see as the biggest achievement? Minister: I cannot not single out one particular event. There was a series of visits which gave Slovenians abroad the opportunity to present their wishes, needs and problems to me directly. This is how we look for common solutions. And let me add this: Slovenians all around the world are happy to receive a visit by a government representative who listens to them and explains what can or cannot be so easily done. State secretary: This is true, especially in neighbouring countries, primarily because of the vicinity, but they are also our priority. I have paid several visits to all four neighbouring countries populated by the ethnic Slovenian community - Hungary, Austria, Italy and Croatia. At the start of the term, the purpose was to get acquainted with the umbrella organisations, associations and various other communities and individuals, to get to know their work and characteristics, as well

as problems they face. Our subsequent visits have been more targeted, or have been about attending certain events, celebrations, sessions etc., or about solving topical problems. I'm personally pleasantly surprised with how certain Slovenian communities eagerly, genuinely and persistently work on preserving the Slovenian language and culture, and sometimes I get the feeling that there is more Slovenian identity there than in many other places. The biggest achievement is to meet our compatriots outside Slovenia's borders, listen to their stories, learn about different dialects and customs in person, and many other things. Other achievements will be assessed after the end of the term. Minister, you stressed among other things that you will focus on the former Yugoslavia. In what way? I divide Slovenians living on the territory of the former Yugoslavia into two groups (which were connected in certain parts of history): Slovenians in the neighbouring country (Istria, Gorski Kotar), and Slovenians who moved to other republics in search for work. Among them there are descendants of Slovenians who were forcedly removed by the Nazis during the Second World War (for instance in Vojvodina). Visits and talks are the simplest way to get connected. Educating young people from these communities in institutions in Slovenia is one of the most effective ways to achieve that. Is the Office supportive of the creation of a museum of migration - how far along are the plans? A museum of migration is something which would show Slovenian

citizens how Slovenians emigrated around the world and what was the price of their migration - take Alexandrinians as an example. The basic idea of the project is there ... now I'm working on eventually getting funds to realise it.

// SCIENCE

Professor Jadran Lenarčič IJS's future are top researches from Slovenia and abroad  Blanka Markovič Kocen

The Jožef Stefan Institute, Slovenia's largest research institution, is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, but it became a respectable international research centre a long time ago. It takes the name from the Slovenian scientist who discovered one of the basic natural laws.

// SCIENCE

“The IJS has always been heavily focussed on international cooperation. When I joined the team at the end of the 1970s, I noticed older colleagues speaking fondly about their experiences abroad. Every researcher has to do a Sabbatical year abroad,” explains Prof. Dr. Jadran Lenarčič, long-serving IJS director. “The IJS intensified participation in international projects and exchanges in the 1980s when European research projects were launched. I can say there’s quite a lot of fresh wind in our labs, so the IJS has become a fully-fledged international centre and if you look at the European Research Ranking, also one of the most desired partners in European projects. More than 400 international projects are carried out annually, of which around 150 under the Horizon 2020 programme.”

The IJS’s mission is top scientific research which could benefit humanity, development research for direct users, and education of top researchers through international exchange. The IJS’s specialises in the natural sciences, life sciences and technological sciences. “This means physics and reactor technology, chemistry and new materials, the environment, biochemistry and molecular biology, information and communications technologies, where I also place robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), a field in which users and the general public are getting increasingly interested. We deem it important that our research is at the global level of quality, and we pay particular attention to new research topics, which are being introduced especially with younger researchers, helping us keep up with our excellence in science and anticipate their ap-

▲ Institute in the past. FOTO: IJS

plicability. The latter is important because the IJS works very closely with businesses and government in forming national and European policies,” says Lenarčič. “When I became IJS director in 2005, I decided to continue with top research and closer cooperation with businesses, which is where the post-independence economic crisis of the 1990s could be felt the most, and with university education,” Lenarčič says about his view of the IJS’s development over the past 15 years. These goals were difficult to pursue when the economic crisis hit in 2009, though. Funds from the Slovenian Research Agency dropped drastically for all forms of research, for development

▲ Institute today. FOTO: IJS

of young researchers and especially for infrastructure. “So in a way I look at my leadership as a kind of crisis management. We’ve managed to compensate for the loss of domestic funds with international projects, which we’ve done remarkably well in some areas. We have even slightly increased the number of employees. As a result, the IJS has become well known among European researchers.” Lenarčič also says the situation with domestic research funds, including those from businesses, is improving and hopes the trend continues. The IJS plans the number of its employees will exceeded 1,000 this year. Public familiar with IJS’s achievements

The IJS has been present in people’s lives since the beginning, so they know it quite well. “At the very start cancer patients came here for radiation therapy, later we developed the first micro computers which were used in industrial controllers, the first Slovenian industrial robots, the first internet connection and the first website in Slovenia. Our recent development can be seen in products such as Savvy, a heartbeat monitor which can be used by both people with a heart condition and athletes, or a smart watch for the elderly. We’ve also developed a special method in rare earth materials ... and ceramic materials, which are used by some of our companies. Many Slovenian companies also use our coatings for various tools. The IJS does an important job in energy and nuclear technology as well as the environment, where it has a direct influ-

ence on national strategies, both in drafting and implementation. And AI has also been quite popular over the past few years, being applied in medicine, education, judiciary, linguistics etc.” IJS’s breakthroughs “It goes without saying that there’re many more breakthroughs than one can list here,” says Lenarčič. “We usually mention xenon fluoride, a compound which had been thought impossible to synthesise. The IJS was also a world leader in the field of nuclear magnetic resonance. We discovered the enzyme stefin, which is why it was named after our institute. The research of liquid crystals was also very interesting, resulting in a company which produces filters for welding goggles. One of the more recent breakthroughs is definitely the development of ferromagnetic fluid

// SCIENCE and the development of a micro laser and its implementation in a living cell.” There have been several breakthroughs in quantum computing recently, and IJS researchers took part in proving the existence of the Higgs boson. There have been major advances in optics and cold crystallisation. Just recently IJS physics have synthesised a hollow protein whose discovery could help advance medicine. There have also been important achievements in biochemistry, particularly in the treatment of various diseases, says Lenarčič. Cooperation with fellow institutions abroad Lenarčič says that the IJS’s cooperation with research institutions and universities abroad is excellent. “A while ago, when we were visited by the French ambassador, I counted around 220 collaborations with French research organisations. We also have a joint lab with the French CNRS Jean Lamour Institute from Nancy. This also goes for Germany and other European countries, with which we cooperation on bilateral and multilateral projects. Outside Europe, we work most closely with the US, but we also have many excellent projects with Japan. Some time ago we began an interesting project with the Helmholtz institute from Germany’s Dresden. We also work closely with nearby research centres in Trieste, Graz etc.” Economic crisis hampered cooperation with businesses The IJS’s links with businesses culminated in the 1980s, a period in which the institute worked very closely with Iskra. This was followed by a post-independence crisis, which cut the majority of these links, mostly because the companies themselves neglected their own development and even

▲ Construction of the reactor building. PHOTO: IJS

closed some development labs. “We started fixing things after 2000, but then we were all too soon hit by the global crisis, which has left a mark on the cooperation between science and business,” explains Lenarčič. Despite this, the scope of cooperation is slowly but steadily increasing, which works even better when the state is on board with its tools which encourage it. Door always open for good researchers “We can employ a researcher who has studied abroad, or in Slove-

nia for that matter, in a couple of days. But how their career here unfolds depends on whether we have enough research hours available in their field or whether we’ll be able to secure them in a foreseeable future. But rest assured that a good researcher can get a job at the IJS immediately,” Lenarčič says about employment prospects of Slovenians who have studied abroad. The economic crisis has made more young researchers seek employment in the business sector, where pay is better, so it is more difficult to hire good researchers than it

“I can say there’s quite a lot of fresh wind in our labs, so the IJS has become a fully-fledged international centre and if you look at the European Research Ranking, also one of the most desired partners in European projects. More than 400 international projects are carried out annually, of which around 150 under the Horizon 2020 programme.”

used to be, especially in IT, says Lenarčič. The IJS remains attractive for the youth who intend to pursue a career in research, yet even they are becoming more interested in careers abroad, especially in richer countries such as Switzerland and Germany. The IJS must therefore make efforts to preserve the high level of quality and competitiveness in all of its fields, at the same making sure it has an excellent infrastructure. “I’m optimistic. What makes us different from other research centres abroad is tremendous loyalty to the IJS and to the name of Jožef Stefan, as well as an excellent atmosphere at workplace you rarely come across, and then there is also multidisciplinarity,” says Lenarčič. Support for international exchange of scientists Many IJS scientists go abroad on exchange programmes, which the leadership strongly supports. “And foreign scientists come here, this is a must if we want to be part of international research. However, it often happens that some of them decide to stay abroad. This is not bad in itself as it opens a window for future cooperation. What is important is having researches flow in both directions,” says the IJS director. IJS’s promising future Since research and innovation funding in Slovenia is improving, Lenarčič believes there are opportunities for the IJS to consolidate its position in the international environment, as well as become an even stronger promoter of technological development in Slovenia and a partner to the government. “We should bear in mind that everything is possible if you have staff, so it’s vital for the IJS’s success to attract top staff from Slovenia and abroad. Given the positive

attitude to our institute among foreign partners, and their admiration for us, I believe all doors are open for the IJS to gain further ground in Europe, in both science and development. A Dutch ambassador once asked me how it is possible that as a small nation, the Slove-

nians have such a famous research institute. Upon reflection, I said it is because we are not an institute but the ‘Jožef Stefan’ Institute”.

// YOUTH

Mario Kurtjak Between Ljubljana and London, guitar and chemistry ď &#x20AC; Branka Novak

I met him ten years ago when his name started appearing on Trio IreNeMa's concert programmes (flute, violin, guitar). Ever since, he has remained true to chamber music, although he also likes to perform as a soloist. How to best describe Mario Kurtjak, a 30-year-old from Logatec? Perhaps he best describes himself on his website: a guitarist, guitar teacher and composer, but also a chemist and a doctor of science.

// YOUTH Mario is an exceptional young man. His simplicity, calmness and modesty are captivating. He speaks prudently, and seems to have an excellent memory. He trains it every day, including by playing concert programmes by heart. Mario is demanding on himself, and has a successfully dual career - musician and scientist. He cannot tell which one is his greatest love. Love No.1 Mario first went to music school in Logatec, where teacher Eva Hren recognised his exceptional talent. He continued his guitar studies at the Music and Ballet School in Ljubljana with Igor Sajeta and then at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana with Andrej Grafenauer. As an exceptionally talented musician, he was admitted to the academy at the age of 16 and graduated with the highest distinction (summa cum laude) in 2010. The time he spent at the academy was spent focussing on technique and interpretation. He and Professor Grafenauer went along excellently. Mario says the professor was able to deal with his overwhelming emotions which could be heard in

his interpretation of music. Mario also excels in perseverance and accuracy: »I work until I eliminate all shortcomings, buzzes, wrongs tones,« he says. I ask him whether it means a lot to him when he gets recognition after working, researching and practising a lot, but he says »this is not necessarily so«. »At secondary school, my goal was to have straight As. Yet, this was not so much a goal as it was additional motivation ... At the academy, I would pass the exam with flying colours, but I knew I had gone through some chapters too fast and did not really master them. That bothered me, so when I had time I studied all those chapters again after I'd already passed the exam.« Mario regularly gives concerts in Slovenia and abroad, playing an extensive repertoire featuring all musical periods and styles, sometimes including his own compositions or adaptations of Slovenian music. In February, he went to London as artist-in-residence with the help of the Slovenian Embassy and the Slovenian Ministry of Culture, where he gave concerts of Guitar Rhapsody,

“I spent hours, days and nights at the lab forgetting about the world outside, totally dedicated to my work, it seemed as if I was ahead of life ... But all the effort and acquired knowledge were not enough for the doctorate studies to unfold as I imagined, a lot depended on luck. I discovered a lot of interesting things, I expanded the topic, yet I did not achieve what I had idealistically imagined.”

a piece for solo guitar written especially for him by Brazilian composer Bernard Simoeso, as well as works by Slovenian composers, including his own. He wrote his first sonata for guitar in 2017, which was played for the first time by Erazem Izidor Grafenauer in Berlin in October 2017. Mario has won several awards and prizes at national and international youth competitions in Slovenia and abroad. He has also received the Antonio Tarsia Prize (2005), the February Award of the Logatec municipality for outstanding achievement in culture (2009), Škerjanec Prize (2007), the Prešeren Award for students (2008, as part of Trio IreNeMa) and the Blyth Watson Award

(2017). He teaches young musicians, and has been the president of the European Guitar Teacher Association (EGTA) of Slovenia since February. Love No.2 Apart from attending music school, Mario Kurtjak also went to the Jo탑e Ple훾nik Secondary School, which he finished with flying colours in 2007, scoring all points in the Matura leaving exam. He was in a dilemma whether to continue his studies in maths, physics or chemistry, so he took part in the competitions for all three subjects in the final year. He did best in chemistry, advancing to the team which were preparing for the Chemistry Olympiad at the Faculty of Chemistry. There, the

door to the world of his second love opened wide. And even if he did not make it to the team which actually went to the Olympiad because he was at the same time still studying at the Academy of Music, he got in touch with a variety of new fields such as biochemistry, physical chemistry and advanced mathematics. It was not until the very last moment that he knew whether to study physics or chemistry, but eventually he settled on chemistry because it featured more of what he was interested in. He graduated in chemistry in 2012 with the thesis about the features of water in porous materials. As part of his thesis, he learnt computer programming, simulated water molecules pressed in a chaotic porous struc-

ture, and calculated how different conditions affect their interaction. Having graduated, Mario became a doctoral student of nanoscience and nanotechnologies at the Jo탑ef Stefan International Post-Graduate School and worked as an early-stage researcher at the Advanced Materials department of the Jo탑ef Stefan Institute. He finished his studies in 2017 with a doctorate entitled New Antibacterial Nanomaterials based on Gallium, Gold and Hydroxypatite. His PhD might some day, although in a distant future, help avoid bacterial infections in implants because they will perhaps contain golden nanoparticles and gallium ions which destroy bacteria resistant to antibiotics.

// YOUTH »Research and scientific work were very exciting, you see things nobody has seen before,« says Mario. »I spent hours, days and nights at the lab forgetting about the world outside, totally dedicated to my work, it seemed as if I was ahead of life ... But all the effort and acquired knowledge were not enough for the doctorate studies to unfold as I imagined, a lot depended on luck. I discovered a lot of interesting things, I expanded the topic, yet I did not achieve what I had idealistically imagined. It also upset me that I had ever less time for guitar. So the unfulfilled wish to continue studies abroad was becoming stronger, and at the end of the day I decided to go on post-graduate guitar studies in London before completing the thesis.« Distributing flyers in London to pay for concert hall In 2017 Mario pursued his music dreams in London. He spent the first year writing his thesis and getting to know the Royal Academy of Music, a mecca for musicians. He completed his post-graduate studies with flying colours in 2018, having studied with professors Michael Lewin, David Russell and Fabio Zanone and composition with Professor David Gorton. As the academy focuses its studies not only on music but also on career, Mario learnt how to organise a concert, design a website, cooperate with composers. He also met many musicians playing chamber music, which he loves. Apart from Trio IreNeMa, Mario is also a member of the Slovenian Guitar Quarter, and of Duo Solent, which he has formed with Columbian soprano Meliza Metzger, whom he met in London. He had to pay for the hall where he had his first concert in London with his own money, so he was

museums, free library membership, commission-free banking, and the academy provided professional video recording, or it could buy any musical sheets, CDs or musical books I desired, and in this way expanded its incredible collections. I used this to promote Slovenian musical heritage, which I presented by adapting and playing Gallus and Lajovic and also by playing my pieces which are based on Slovenian folk songs. Generally, I can say the entire London experience was above expectations and extremely useful for my future musical career. Cultural events in London and being able to work with top musicians from around the globe are excellent and unforgettable. I have very fond memories of life abroad and of the friends I made, so I always like to return to London.ÂŤ

distributing flayers around London. It is different now. According to his website, he had a concert in London in May, in Karlovac in June, and in July, Solent Duo will perform in Ptuj. How was it to live and study abroad? ÂťAs I was still very busy writing articles and editing doctoral research findings when I came to London in 2016, I was totally unprepared for the new way of living and the environment. I hadn't even found a flat yet, so the first weeks were very hard, but also full of interesting adventures. At the beginning start, I didn't quite grasp the public transport system and the size of the city, I was also very careful with money because I couldn't know how much I'd spend a month. So I walked a lot and ate little, as a result of which I lost quite a lot of weight. The noise and unbelievable crowds everywhere in the city as

well as many of peculiar British traditions were quite a culture shock. Eventually I got used to it all and the academy, some students who had studied there for several years and my landlady Jill helped a lot. With her, I often discussed both cultures, which raised my awareness of many Slovenian features, and I also became more proud of some of them, but I also noticed many similarities between the cultures. Used to free studies and many benefits for students at home, I was surprised to have to pay for many things, such as a rehearsal coach or copies of musical sheets for the exam commission, from my own pocket despite a high scholarship. When I first had to see a doctor when I fell ill I was very proud of our health system. But I gradually discovered more things the British manage very well, for instance consumer protection at shops, admission-free visits to galleries and

I wonder how Mario manages shifting from one world to another, but he considers it a normal thing to do. He even says it is fine to enter the world of music after spending so much time in a lab. ÂťI've lived this kind of life since secondary school, I've learnt how to disconnect from places. I've learnt to manage time very well. I actually find moving from art to science and vice versa very comfortable. When I spend a lot of time immersed in science, I grab the guitar and enjoy playing it even more. And yes, one reason why Mario can do it is because he has the support of his family.

// YOUTH

Tara: “Teaching kids in Africa is a life-changing experience.” Kids Are the World will organise the 6th international summer camp in July, which is expected to attract many Slovenian volunteers and students. This year, Tara Radikovič, a student of geography and Spanish of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Ljubljana, will travel to the Gambia. She has been a sponsor of a Gambian boy for a year, paying his tuition fees. »I'll work at a local school with children of different ages who come from extremely poor families. Most of them live in unbearable conditions, they are undernourished and have no education opportunities,« says Tara. »The volunteers from all summer camps have decided to join forces to raise EUR 3,000 to take a container full of material to the Gambia.« The volunteers are collecting money as well as a notebooks, colour pencils, rubbers and text books, but also summer clothes, board games, old mobile phones and balls. »I believe every one of us has at home at least one thing we don't need. It could well be old stuff, children in Africa will be very happy to get them,« says the young volunteer. Even as a child, Tara had a desire to travel to Africa and help poor families. »Last year I learnt about the association which organises summer camps in the Gambia, and it seemed a great opportunity to make my dream come true and spend my summer holiday in a different way. But I'd also like to meet the Gambian boy whom I've sponsored for over a year.« Sponsors donate some money to a child's family every month to pay for their tuition. Just like in Slovenia, there is no school during the summer in the Gambia, so the summer camps come handy

for working parents who do not have daycare for their children. Tara says the volunteers would like to teach Gambian children and at same time have a good time socialising with them. Tara learnt about Kids Are the World from a friend who went to the Gambia last year, talking it through with her before she decided to go. »When I realised this is exactly what I wanted, I contacted Urša, the founder of the association. She gave some more information about voluntary work in the Smiling Coast, the nickname for the Gambia. The more I learnt about it, the

more I wanted to go. I eventually applied to become a volunteer.« She will work in a local school with children aged 3 to 13 who come from very poor families. Most of them have illiterate parents. She will teach them basics such as letters and numbers, addition and subtraction, the names of animals, colours etc.« Twelve Slovenian volunteers and students will go to the Gambia for the summer camp, some will work at school, others at a hospital. What are Tara's expectations? »I feel that more than me teaching the children new things, me and other volunteers will learn a lot from them. We cannot imagine life there unless we experience it first hand. I realise it won't be easy, but I'm sure it will be one of the best experiences I'll ever have.« Tara would like to finish her studies in Slovenia and then live in Australia. »But this is just a dream for now, although I hope it comes true some day.« She likes Slovenia. »I feel at peace and safe here, but I've always wanted to live abroad. As I said, I'd like to move to Australia, not only because of work but also because of the atmosphere and energy I felt there when I visited. In Slovenia, young people can get a job when they are students, but I believe you need to know somebody to get a proper job later on. Sadly, I feel education is ever less appreciated in Slovenia, this is also a reason why an increasing number of young people go abroad.« The volunteers taking part in the Gambia summer camps help achieve change in sustainable development, education and the quality of living of the local population. The reason for this is mostly in the number of volunteers and students who decide to share their spare time, money, knowledge, experiences and joy with children and parents in this country. At the same time, they learn a lot themselves. This year's camp will be a bit different from the previous ones in that all classes and workshops will take place on a piece of land where a career and education centre will be built at the initiative of Kids Are the World.

 Blanka Markovič Kocen  Osebni arhiv T.R.

// LANDMARKS OF SLOVENIA

Notranjska Regional Park - Jewel of nature

The Notranjska Regional Park is located in the municipality of Cerknica and spans 222 square kilometres. It was established in 2002 in a bid to preserve, protect and explore the region's nature and culture. The park is known for a high level of conservation of natural habitats, a significant number of pieces of natural heritage and exceptional biodiversity. It is also a distinct cultural landscape where people and nature live in harmony.

The park covers some strictly protected areas: the natural reserves Zadnji Kraj, Dujice, Osredki, Levišča and Vranja Jama, and the natural features Rakov Škocjan Valley, the Iška and Zala gorges, and the caves Križna Jama and Zelška Jama. »Being designated as special areas means they are important either for their biodiversity, geographic characteristics or other features, while in terms of managements this does not mean they are subject to a stricter regime or that access to them is limited,« according to director Matevž Podjed. It is hard to compare the Notranjska Regional Park with similar parks in Slovenia because every protected area is a park in its own right due to its unique features, says Podjed. »But it is certainly true that it is difficult to find such biodiversity in such a small area anywhere in Europe. The Notranjska Park has crystal-clear waters in gorges, the unique intermittent Cerknica Lake, the Križna Jama Cave, Rakov Škocjan, dry grasslands on the Menišija hills, forests on the Javorniki hills, bear, lynx, wolf, birds ... And most of all, it has people who live and work here,« explains Podjed. Notranjska Park increasingly popular »The park's strategy used to be 'the fewer people know us, the better for the conservation'. But under my leadership this type of philosophy has been erased. The park is becoming more popular, there are more visitors - and they come from an increasing number of countries. We mean it, and we have the vision to prove it: we want to become the most successful Slovenian natural park and a protected area known around the world of which its locals can be proud,« Podjed says about's the Park's place in Europe and the world.

◀ PHOTO: Tine Schein

// LANDMARKS OF SLOVENIA The Notranjska Regional Park employs 23 people. Their main tasks are studying and researching natural habitats, drafting strategic action plans, managing campaigns, field work, producing educational programmes for primary and secondary school children and for adults, running workshops, producing programmes for tourists, and partly also marketing, cooperation with tourist agencies, organising cultural events (there are more than 130 such events annually). The park's team has successfully drawn EU funds for two projects worth EUR 9 million. »Several partners take part in the projects, which focus on improving Cerknica Lake after people wanted to drain it in the past by turning stream-beds into levelled channels. Some of these stream-beds will be restored. This will be a hard and complex process costing some EUR 4 million. The second important thing is related to constructing infrastructure for tourists and visitors at Cerknica Lake, which will cost around EUR 2 million. The third set of projects is related to training locals who are in any way involved in tourism. The other tasks have to do with promotion - web sites, publications, social media, PR ...« explains Podjed. The new tourist season is already in full swing and the Notranjska Regional Park is ready. They have some 300 accommodation units, which are however rather dispersed, since an increasing number of people rent rooms. »When we have more people coming, for instance 50, a whole coach, we refer them to Žerovnica, a town where there are several accommodation providers. With the exception of the school centre at Rakov Škocjan, which offers bunk beds, we have

no accommodation provider with so many beds. The other option is directing them to neighbouring municipalities, which have these capacities.« Tourists have lots to do this year For the fifth year running, Themed Weekends have been organised at Cerknica Lake featuring activities by local associations, companies, tour guides and farmers. The idea is to provide a range of activities for tourists visiting the park, and for individuals, families and smaller groups so that they can enjoy what it otherwise organised only for large groups. Visitors can enjoy a ride with a horse-driven hay carriage, canoe trips, or guided tours of the lake focussing in different topics ranging from nature to mythology. Events take place every weekend from the end of April until the end of September, culminating with Notranjska Park Days, the sec-

ond biggest event after the Cerknica Carnival. Podjed says that apart from the

▲ PHOTO: Anže Korenč

▼ PHOTO: Anže Korenč

Themed Weekends, there are four main attractions that draw visitors to Cerknica area: Cerknica Lake, the Rakov Škocjan Valley, Mount

peak is the Witch's Cave, a chasm from which a morning mist sometimes floats and which locals used to attribute to witches brewing up a storm. The cave had been mentioned as far back as in Janez Vajkard Valvasor's landmark 17th-century book The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola.

▼ The great crested grebe. PHOTO: Jošt Stergavšek

about the lake. Visiting the biggest karst intermittent lake in Europe gives visitors an insight into just one of its aspects, whereas in the museum they can see a live scale model of the lake to learn what is happening with it throughout the year. This way, the tourists won't be surprised to see a completely different lake landscape when visiting in another time of the year.« Descending the witch's hill past bears into the underground Rakov Škocjan is a valley which was formed when a cave ceiling collapsed. Part of the waters from Cerknica Lake flows through it as the Rak stream. The main points in the valley are the Little Natural Bridge and the Big Natural Bridge, the remains of the cave ceiling which are around 40 metres high. There is a popular small hotel in the middle of the valley, offering accommodation and food.

Slivnica and the Križna Jama Cave. »By the lake, in the village of Dolenje Jezero, they can visit the Lake Cerknica Museum, where they learn

Slivnica is a 1,114-metre hill overlooking the Cerknica Plain that offers the most impressive view of Cerknica Lake, making it a popular hiking destination. Below the

Those who like rowing underground can visit the Križna Jama, a cave known for its many crystal-clear lakes. Visitors can choose between a one-hour trip to the first underground lake, where they can row with a cave guide, and a fourhour adventure during which cave enthusiasts can explore 13 lakes in this gorgeous cave. Visitors can also go on bear-watching tours, which have been increasingly popular among foreign tourists over the past few years, especially since in many countries bears have become extinct. Those who like wilderness thus come to Notranjska hoping to take photos of the biggest animal in Slovenian forests. The Notranjska Regional Park will show visitors a different face every time they visit, so they never come here for the last time.

 Blanka Markovič Kocen

// AMONG US

World Bee Day 2019 celebrated in Kakanj

Slovenians are a nation keen on bees with a high level of awareness about the role of bees. More than 10,000 Slovenians, or one in 200, are beekeepers and beekeeping has a special status as a branch of agriculture. The Slovenian Beekeeping Association has launched s series of projects over the past few years to promote bees, such as honey breakfast, beekeepers clubs for school children and bee gardens, which have all been eagerly embraced by the public. In 2014, it gave an initiative to declare a World Bee Day. Aware of how important it is to preserve bees and beekeeping, the Slovenian government supported the initiative, committing itself to do all in its power for World Bee Day to be declared, which the United Nations did in 2017. Slovenia was also one of the first EU countries to ban, in 2011, certain pesticides harmful to bees. Slovenia's beekeeping enjoys international renown be-

cause of some of its particular features, including unique wooden beehives with folk motifs, which emerged in the middle of the 18th century. These beehive panels, or panjske končnice in Slovenian, help bees find their homes, while helping beekeepers tell one bee colony from another. This year World Bee Day was also celebrated in the Bosnian town of Kakanj, where children attending additional Slovenian language and culture classes and several members of the Jožef Špringer Slovenian Association got together on Saturday, 18 May, to make beehive panels. On World Bee Day, the beehive panels were donated to the Bee Queen Association of Beekeepers in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Given that one in three spoonfuls of food in the world depends on pollination, it is important to spread the message that there is no life without bees.  Mateja Kregar, teacher of Slovenian language and culture in Sarajevo, Kakanj, Zenica and Breza

Learning Slovenian in theatre

ď &#x20AC; NataĹĄa Garafol, teacher of Slovenian language in Belgium and Luxembourg

The children attending additional Slovenian language classes in Brussels and Luxembourg took part in two fivehour theatre workshops given by director Mateja Kokol and the head of the Slovenian national theatre Drama SNG Maribor's project Scene One: Theatre as Place to Learn Symbolic Languages. Both workshops, based on Peter Svetina's animal stories Hippopotamus Wisdom (Modrost Nilskih Konjev) and held on Saturday, 18 May, in Brussels and Sunday, 19 May, in Luxembourg, were attended by 24 primary schools children. At the end, they were also joined by their parents. Everyone was thrilled with the workshops, which were supported by the Slovenian Office for Slovenians Abroad: the children, as they had a chance of speaking Slovenian in a different environment, and their parents, as well as theatre workers and the Slovenian language teacher.