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Slovenia is aware that the two pillars of its future development are knowledge and a sustainable development strategy. In 2004, there were 340 research organisations in the country, with a total of 10,155 R&D personnel, of whom 5,842 were researchers. Among FTE (full time equivalent) researchers, around 41% were employed in the business sector, 28% in the government sector, 30% in the higher education sector, and 1% in the private non-profit sector.
Since 1994, commercial companies with a registered research department have also been considered to be research organisations. Even though, due to Slovenia’s small size, the total number of scientists amounts only to that in a reasonably sized research institute of a large international firm, Slovenia’s R&D activities are exceptionally multi-faceted and, because of the maintenance of high quality standards, recognised worldwide.
R&D in 2005:
Expenditure on R&D as % of GDP: 1.49
Number of research organisations: 375
Number of R&D personnel: 12,600
R&D personnel in FTE (full time equivalent): 8,994
R&D personnel (FTE) per 1,000 total employment: 11.1
Researchers in head count: 7,664
Researchers in FTE: 5,253
Researchers (FTE) per 1,000 total employed: 6.5
Source: Statistical Office of the RS
National research and development programmes
Slovenia’s main development document relating to R&D is the National Research and Development Programme (NRDP) 2006-2010, which is a synthesis of the most general objectives and policies on R&D from national strategic documents. The NRDP focuses on all key segments pertaining to the wider domain of research policy – from providing excellent science in public research institutes and universities as an indispensable long-term basis for innovation and thus the economy’s competitiveness to integrating the public research sphere with the business sector, providing corporate incentives for strengthening investment in R&D and creating a favourable environment for entrepreneurship and innovations.
From a total of 60 measures included in the NRDP, 41, i.e. two-thirds, relate to supporting technological development and the economy, and 14 or almost one-quarter of these are directly aimed at strengthening cooperation between the public research sphere and the business sector. Where reasonable and possible, the objectives of the NRDP are expressed as specific target values, while all measures include an indication of the responsible bodies and the deadlines for their implementation.
Significant sections of the NRDP are included in the plans and documents for the utilisation of EU structural funds under the new financial perspective. Furthermore, new forms of tax relief were introduced for enterprises investing in R&D, while a new law on risk capital companies is being drafted which aims to provide the missing legal basis for risk capital funds and public-private partnerships in this sphere.
Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology - www.mvzt.gov.si