Co-Creating The Future

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHEMISTRY

MISSION

We are enriching global treasury in solving most pressing challenges faced by the society.

VISION

With our cutting-edge research, we are pushing the boundaries of science. Through the creation of trends, we are co-creating the industries of the future. Through the transfer of knowledge to young people and the pursuit of good interpersonal relations, we are enabling the development of careers. Devoted to science, we aim to become the best in the world.

VALUES

EXCELLENCE – with equipment and knowledge, we discover the unknown.

COLLABORATION – we tackle the most difficult challenges together.

COURAGE – we are curious, creative and daring.

WITHOUT BORDERS – we are globally engaged and open to collaboration.

WE SHARE KNOWLEDGE – we raise public awareness, spread knowledge among young people and transfer it to the industry.

FAMILY – we trust and support each other.

In 2021, we remain proud holders of various certificates. Family Friendly Enterprise and Global Impact reflects our social responsibility, and certificates of quality and GMP.

1 About the institute

The National Institute of Chemistry is a scientifically excellent, established and a breakthrough research institution in the European area. With our cutting-edge research, we are enriching the global treasury of knowledge and working together to solve the most pressing challenges faced by society. Health, sustainable energy, climate change, a circular economy and safe food are the most important among them. We measure our research goals in surpluses that push the borders of science and create new values. We successfully transfer knowledge to the industrial environment and thus, in the long term, support the placement of science in the development of society.

NIC is a members of international multidisciplinary research networks and we collaborate with the best global research infrastructure, groups and individuals. This is how we enable our scientific excellence. We aim to be an open learning space for young researchers on a daily basis. With a variety of projects and research infrastructure, we create a stimulating environment where they can develop their curiosity and realise their research creativity. By doing so, we ensure the integration of the profession into the lives of future generations.

We provide our employees with an inspiring working environment in which they can carry out their professional mission. We are proud that our interpersonal relationships are based on an open, integrated, equitable and inclusive culture that is not limited in terms of age, gender or race. At the same time, we strive to become the reason for the return of excellent Slovenian scientists abroad. With our mission, we contribute to the well-being of the wider Slovenian society and are also an example of excellence.

2 Strategic planning

National Institute of Chemistry pursues the following key objectives:

1. Ensure scientific excellence

Scientific excellence is the basis of the Institute's contribution to economic and social progress and present the primary objective of the Institute's core activities.

2. Regular international audits

NIC builds its excellence on regular international audits. Every five years, the work of the Institute and its individual departments is audited by an independent International Scientific Advisory Board.

3. Integration into regional, European and global scientific currents

In order to improve its performance or to introduce new practices and research areas that will improve the institutes excellence, NIC is open to networking with other national and international academic institutions and organisations. We are open to formal and informal collaborations.

4. Establishment and maintenance of a world-class research infrastructure

NIC develops and builds world-class research infrastructure.

5. Increase the share of research funding from EU projects

An important strategic objective is to increase the share of EU funding for research projects.

6. Increase the share of long-term contracts with industry in basic research and the share of revenues from patent sales and licensing

The activities in the area of knowledge transfer to business will be strengthen.

7. Ensure organisational flexibility and excellent staff skills

In the light of ongoing scientific research challenges and their specificities, we will perform organisational flexibility in terms of merging existing or creating new research laboratories and departments.

8. Strive to raise the profile of science and its importance in Slovenian society

We will strive for a high proportion of PhD students at Institute.

9. Raise the profile of science and its importance in Slovenian society

We will work to raise the profile of science in Slovenian society and to assert its importance for overall social and economic development.

3 Scientific excellence

NIC is demonstrates its scientific excellence with awards for scientific excellence, innovation and creativity, with number of original scientific work published in the most prestigious scientific journals and with success rate in acquiring ERC founded project.

Awards for scientific excellence, innovation and creativity

• State prizes “Zois Awards and the Zois Certificates of Recognition ” for excellence in science, 2017, 2018, 2020

• Pregl Awards for outstanding achievements in the field of chemistry and related disciplines, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020

• Best business practice award “Best of the Best” AmCham Slovenia, 2020

• Rector's Award for the Best Innovation of the University of Ljubljana, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021

• Krka Awards, 2017, 2019, 2020

• Three Golden Awards and one Silver Award for innovation by Central Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia, 2018, 2019, 2020

• Gold award for innovation of the National Institute of Chemistry (52nd MOS, Celje)

• Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the Year 2021

• …and other earned designations.

Original scientific work published in the most prestigious scientific journals from 2016-2020:

• Energy and Environmental Science, 2 publications

• Nature Biotechnology, 1 publication

• Nature Catalysis, 2 publications

• Nature Materials, 2 publications

• Nature Medicine, 2 publications

• Nature Nanotechnology, 1 publication

• Science, 1 publication

NIC is managing complex research and innovation projects as well as programmes funded through financial mechanisms of the European Commission. In terms of the number of acquired ERC projects NIC is one of the leading institutions in the region. The success rate in acquiring ERC founded projects for the last four years is 32%.

Some examples of excellent research and innovation Horizon 2020 projects:

� RNP Dynamics, Multivalent interactions driving RNP dynamics in development and disease, ERC Advanced Grant 2018; 2020-2024

• 123 STABLE

Towards Nanostructured Electrocatalysts with Superior Stability, ERC Starting Grant 2019; 2020 – 2024

• MaCChines

Molecular machines based on coiled-coil protein origami, ERC Advanced Grant 2017; 2018-2023

• CCedit

Coiled-coil mediated exonuclease tethering technology for the enhancement of CRISPR gene editing, ERC Proof of Concept, 2020 - 2021

• MULTraSonicA

Multiscale modeling and simulation approaches for biomedical ultrasonic applications

ERC Advanced Grant, 2021-2026

• VIROFIGHT

General-purpose virus neutralizing engulfing shells with modular target-specificity, FET Open, European Innovation Council, Pathfinder, 2020-2024

4 Budget

The Institute's revenue includes public service revenue and market revenue, which includes cooperation with industry and revenue from European projects. Around 48% of NIC revenue is stable funding (funding from the Slovenian Research Agency (SRA) on account of programmes (4-6 years), infrastructure activities, infrastructure commitments and young researchers funding)). The remaining funding is competitive, project-based and oriented, whit a duration of mostly of 1-3 years (e.g. cooperation with industry, SRA projects, European projects, etc.).

5 Academic structure/programmes

The NIC is structured in 8 different departments and 2 infrastructure centres. The complexity of addressed problems that are subject to the research allows to cooperate interdisciplinary, which is supported by the supporting services. Management strongly encourages idea-driven interaction between different experts and different departments, and their international networking activities.

ERC

Horizon Europe Horizon 2020

Interreg

NATO ARRS projects

Market

EU projects

Other revenues

Revenues at NIC NIC participates in diversed European Programmes

Organizational chart of National Institute of Chemistry

Board of Governors

Scientific council

6 Boosting innovation

By building on a knowledge base, at the Institute, we are open for any kind of innovation that can significantly impact the quality of life of the population, as well as give the necessary impulse to the companies in order to capitalise on a cutting-edge knowledge.

NIC has created the supporting mechanisms for the innovators, helping them in development of the novelty, and transferring them from the invention to the innovation.

Especially important is the Knowledge Transfer Office, part of the national consortium for transfer of knowledge and technology, which consists of personnel with the expertise in filling the gaps in development of the idea and shaping it into the innovation.

The office offers the support through:

• Supporting researchers in protecting newly-created intellectual property that can lead to commercialization

• Raising the awareness of research staff about all aspects of the intellectual property

• Facilitating the protection of inventions through partnership with relevant patent protection agencies

• Building the bridges between researchers and the industry, where newly created intellectual property can be transferred

• Supporting the researchers in their entrepreneurial endeavours, in case they want to found a company around the invention / innovation they personally developed

Working hand-in-hand with the researchers, we are strongly supporting the expansion of the state-of-the-art knowledge base at the institute, paving the way to utilise the advantages market and society can bring once the innovation achieves its end users.

In order to support ground-breaking ideas, director and the Knowledge Transfer Office have started internal call for proposals NICKI, supporting the development of the invention till the proof of concept. This internal mechanism allows research staff to transfer the novelties into the viable value proposition that can be further developed, using partnerships with the industry or European financial instruments at disposal.

7

Open innovation ecosystem

Organizational structure of the Institute creates an ecosystem in which innovations are nurtured as a good, knowledge gained through the research process expands the curriculum offered to the staff.

Project office founded in 2016 supports researchers in applying to grants, topics that connect different departments and their international partners, which result in grant-funded projects, generation of new knowledge that goes beyond current state-of-the art. In 2021, NIC has active 155 projects, out of which 42 internationals, out of them 25 are running within the framework of the Horizon 2020, 6 projects supporting excellent science through the European Research Council (ERC). International projects foster exchange of knowledge and international collaborations.

8 Access to knowledge

Access to Knowledge (A2K) refers to the right to participate in the creation, distribution, and acquisition of raw information, secondary analyses of data, and knowledge-embedded tools and services. The A2K critical discourse emphasizes the value of openness and highlights the impact of knowledge policy on international development.

At the Institute, we are collecting the knowledge and create unique knowledge base at the level of the institute. There are three different mechanisms implementing throughout the year:

Pregl colloquium

The Pregl Colloquium was named after Friderik (Fritz) Pregl, a chemist and medical doctor of Slovenian origin. In 1923 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry “for his invention of the method of micro-analysis of organic substances”. In this series of lectures we host distinguished scientists from all over the world, working in the field of chemistry and chemistry-related sciences. The lectures are open to a broad scientific communion and are advertised on our webpage, as well as at all research institutions in Ljubljana. The official language of the Pregl colloquium is English. The Colloquium takes place once a month in the Big Lecture Hall, usually on a third Thursday at 1 pm, if not stated otherwise.

Friderik Pregl (1869 - 1930)

Forum40

In March 2016, a new series of lectures called Forum40 was initiated at the National Institute of Chemistry. Each month one department, especially younger researchers, has a chance to present its research. The aim of the lectures is getting to know your colleagues, research that they do and striving for accelerated cooperation between departments. Lectures last 40 minutes and are followed by 20 minutes of discussion.

The Week of the National Institute of Chemistry

Every year at the beginning of June, The National Institute of Chemistry Week is held. This is a series of professional and popular events aimed at both academia and the general public. In this way we showcase the work of the Institute and promote cutting edge science. There will be consultations, tables, professional and public lectures and a gala academy with the presentation of the prestigious Pregl Awards. At the same time, during this week we are also preparing an open week where interested groups and individuals can visit our facility. With all this, we want to celebrate our work and strive for scientific excellence, while at the same time drawing attention to the contribution of excellent science to societal development.

NIC library

As a part of the supporting services, since its foundation there is a central library at the institute, which offers journals and peer publications the most relevant for the scientific areas covered by the institute. Research staff is offered with the articles, books, papers, presentations, anything that can be useful for their research.

It should be noted that through the open innovation ecosystem, researchers always share their data and metadata gathered in their research efforts according to FAIR principle, avoiding replication of the research efforts.

9 Company’s innovation journey

At the beginning the predecessor of the todays Institute, was active in the development of technologies for the production of coke from lignite, which were governed by the needs of then existing industry. With time the activities were expanded in line with the than recognized chemical profession and the needs of the domestic in also foreign industry. Although much has changed since the establishment, the Institutes still remains faithful to its original purpose and, in addition to its educational, scientific and professional components, it also stands out on the basis of the results of its cooperation with industry (both domestic and foreign).

Due to the increased collaboration with the pharmaceutical industry, in 2002 a special centre was formed, the Centre for Validation Technologies and Analytics (CVTA), which mainly perform activities for the pharmaceutical industry according to GLP and cGMP standards. The CVTA is completely dedicated to the industry and the market, while the research departments dedicate part of their scientific and professional research capacities to domestic and foreign industry. The key content areas of the Institutes research departments are now focused on biotechnology, life sciences research, materials research for environmental and energy applications, theoretical and structural chemistry, analytical chemistry, nanotechnology, chemical engineering and food chemistry. Through our excellent research, we contribute fundamental discoveries to the world's treasury of knowledge and contribute to solving some of the society's most pressing challengeshealth, sustainable energy, climate change, the circular economy, environmental protection, food security and human resources training.

10 Collaboration with industry

The National Institute of chemistry is connected with the economy since its establishment. The institute’s collaboration with industrial partners leads to improved efficiency and added value for companies, as well as to the integration of the latest technologies and knowledge into new products. Furthermore, the development cooperation allows the industrial sector to hire services, equipment, and personnel that they are otherwise unable to develop or maintain due to a lack of capacities or assets.

When collaborating with industry, we follow three basic principles:

- The institute protects the partners’ trade secrets.

- We comply with internationally established ethical rules and standards.

- We have longstanding standard policies on intellectual protection and we successfully protect and use the knowledge and inventions that result from the process of collaboration. All the departments of the National Institute of Chemistry can participate in R&D collaboration and offer consulting, contract and analytical services for the industry.

Research and development expertise’s:

Computer simulations

- life sciences and bioinformatics

- chemometrics and statistical methods in chemistry, proteomics and genomics

- studies of links between the structure and function of complex molecular systems

Materials

- analysis and synthesis of polymeric materials

- development of porous adsorbents and porous catalysts

- development of heterogeneous catalysts

- development of advanced batteries

- development of coatings

Chemical technology and engineering

- development and optimization of chemical processes

- wastewater cleaning

Chemical analysis

- inorganic materials and ionic species

- chemical and biochemical analysis of water

- substances in food supplements

- development, validation and analysis of active pharmaceutical ingredients and products according to GMP standard

- characterization of chemical structures with NMR

Biological and biochemical research

- research of biological processes, biotechnology and biologics

- studies of biological macromolecules and biological activity

- determination of the structure of biomolecules

Long-term development activities

The goal of NIC is building long-term strategic alliances with our industrial partners, through which we co-develop new technologies. The company’s own R&D capacities are therefore enriched with the creativity and comprehensive knowledge of our researchers. At the same time, the company has an opportunity to use the top-notch research infrastructure, which is essential for new breakthroughs.

Consulting services and short-term development activities

Our researchers are leading experts with plenty of in-depth knowledge and research creativity. Synergistic collaboration between all research departments and individuals allows them to solve the most difficult problems and offer you consulting in the fields covered by the National Institute of Chemistry.

Developers and providers of the equipment used by our researchers can, with our help:

• test,

• validate,

• acquire references,

• and improve products.

We can help you approach the market from the point of view of users and technology.

Contract and analytical services for industry

The Centre for Validation Technologies and Analytics (CVTA) is the starting point where we can successfully determine your needs for contract research. At CVTA we routinely perform different GMP certified services, including force degradation studies, validation and transfer of analytical procedures and GMP analytics, qualitative and quantitative analytical testing of commercial products/goods with validated analytical procedures pin GMP environment and issuing certificates of analysis and compliance. We are also an entry point for establishing problem-solving services for industry. We approach these activities by forming project groups of NIC researchers with adequate knowledge and research infrastructure. This allows us to successfully solve various challenges facing our industrial partners.

The cooperation of the National Institute of Chemistry with Lek company, which is part of Novartis group in Slovenia is one of the best examples of how Slovenian industry in close cooperation with academic institutions can develop modern innovative products that can be sold worldwide. The beginnings of the National Institute of Chemistry's co operation with Lek company go back to the 1960s. In the late 1990s, close collaboration began in the development of similar biological drugs. It should be mentioned that the mixed research group was engaged in the development of second-generation pharmaceutical proteins and was awarded several times for achievements in the development of similar biological drugs (in 2003 it received the Gold Award of the Chamber of Commerce of Slovenia and in 2014 it received the Puh Award of the Republic of Slovenia).

The National Institute of Chemistry and Lek company continue to work closely together. Researchers of the National Institute of Chemistry participate with state-of-the-art knowledge and the use of state-of-the-art research infrastructure in various analytical and development activities. The cooperation of the National Institute of Chemistry with Lek company is an exceptional example of close and good cooperation of academic institutions with high-tech companies. Only strategic long-term cooperation can lead to breakthrough innovations that quickly find their way to the market and thus represent a good model for cooperation between the Slovenian academic community and industry.

In 2014, a joint research team from the Institute of Chemistry and Lek collaborated on the development of the biosimilars filgrastim and pegfilgrastim.

11 Research infrastructure

Top-notch research infrastructure is the precondition for acquiring new scientific-findings and breakthroughs.

We have certified GMP laboratories and expert knowledge in the GMP and GLP requirements

Areas covered:

Chemical analysis in a GMP environment

chromatograpy - element analysis dissolution tests - wet chemistry

Biological and biochemical research

Chemical techmology & Engineering

Materials

Research equipment relevant form pharmacy:

� GC-FID/ TCD/ MS

� ICP-MS / ICP-OES

� HPLC, U(H)PLC, ICTLC

� Dissolution tests

� NMR 300, 600 and 800, part of Slovenian NMR Centre

� Cryo electron microscope

12 Access to talents

We place great emphasis on the potential of the young generations. The connection with them is established as early as during their education, before they become our colleagues at the National Institute of Chemistry. Those who decide to join us later can aspire to a successful career in science or industry. PhD students employed at NIC represent more than 30% of all employees. One third of the doctoral students are supported with resources directly or indirectly arising from industry.

Approximately 30% of employees who conclude their work at the National Institute of Chemistry and decide to continue their careers in the economy sector are those who continue with work at Lek Company, a lot of them working in important areas and occupy leading positions in them (calculated based on data for the period 2016-2021).

Our researchers often receive renowned prizes, many of which are awarded or supported by industry such as Krka Awards. We are proud to work alongside recipients of awards for research excellence (Zois Awards and Prizes, Pregl Awards, IJS Golden Emblem Prize).

The ‘Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions’ scholarship scheme supports collaboration between industry and the academic sphere, as well as various kinds of training for ensuring career development and employment opportunities for researchers.