Slovenia

Slovenia shows a strong involvement in EU actions with a focus on heritage science and research infrastructures.

Research strategies and priorities

National level

Slovenian research priorities are established by the National Research and Innovation Agency (ARIS), under the umbrella of the Ministry of Science. Cultural heritage is a priority area.

Following the Research Infrastructure Roadmap 2030, Slovenia is a member in several research infrastructures in relation with heritage and SSH such as E-RIHS, CLARIN and DARIAH.

Programmes and calls for cultural heritage

The Institute for the Protection of the Cultural Heritage of Slovenia’s research institute is responsible for answering the various dimensions of performing heritage research: development of scientific methods, characterisation, preventive conservation and environmental research impact are some of its core action.

Although there is no dedicated call nor programme for heritage research, the National Research and Innovation Agency (ARIS) funds art history research.

EU joint actions: state of the art and future opportunities

EU Work Programmes interactions with national/regional level

Slovenia is actively engaged in two European initiatives:

• Joint Programming Initiative on Cultural Heritage and Global Change: as a member of the JPI CH and an active participant in joint calls.
• E-RIHS, this initiative is included on the national research infrastructure roadmap and supported by the Ministry of Science; it gathers numerous national research actors such as the Slovenian national building and civil engineering institute, the University of Primorska, and the University of Ljubljana.

These European actions contribute to a better structuration and coordination of the national cultural heritage R&I institutional landscape.

European actions’ added value

Bringing Slovenian research to the European level helped both in identifying national strengths and expertise and in exchanging new research topics with European partners. This change of scale also worked in favour of better representating the voices of research communities’ at the national policy-level.

Looking ahead

If European actions’ added value is recognised, funding could be improved mainly by avoiding potential thematic overlaps between national and EU funding. EU funding could focus on excellence and foster international collaboration but should substitute itself to national funding – especially when it is difficulty to identify EU topics aligned with the national priorities.

Slovenia aims at focusing on building a strategy that would benefit scientists on selected national relevant topics and research infrastructures and would valorise interdisciplinary projects. However, some Slovenian cultural heritage sites would benefit from being addressed at the EU level through the support of international research projects – for example, the Celje ceiling restoration.