4TH NATIONAL EVENT OF THE SPOZNAJ PROJECT AND EXHIBITION ON OPEN SCIENCE IN MARIBOR
We will celebrate the conclusion of the SPOZNAJ project with the 4th national event of the SPOZNAJ project, which will take place this year as part of the FestUM festival – the Festival of Science and Arts of the University of Maribor. FestUM 2026 is dedicated to one of the key questions of the contemporary academic landscape – how to evaluate scientific research and artistic work in a way that takes into account quality, significance, and openness. The festival programme opens up space for discussion on changes in research assessment in the context of open science and addresses the challenges and opportunities brought by reforms at both the European and national levels.
The festival will take place on 10 and 11 June 2026 as a hybrid event (live at the UM Rectorate and online). The first festival day, 10 June 2026, will be dedicated to the domestic academic community, student creativity, and strengthening the connection between the university and its environment. The Student Challenges of the University of Maribor (ŠI:UM) will be followed by a round table with representatives of the University of Maribor programme groups, focusing on their purpose and objectives, as well as on advanced research assessment. The central programme of the first day will be complemented by a film prepared by students of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
The second festival day, 11 June 2026, will host the 4th national event of the SPOZNAJ project. The audience will first be addressed by dr. Tomaž Boh (PhD), Director-General of the Science and Innovation Directorate at the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation. This will be followed by lectures from international guests, presenting approaches to reforming research assessment and sharing experiences with implementing research evaluation in their institutions.
A key part of the event is a round table titled “Qualitative Assessment and Open Science,” featuring representatives of national and international institutions in research, higher education, and scientific research policies. The discussion will address qualitative assessment, open science, institutional changes, and future directions of research evaluation in Slovenia and the broader European context.
- Lindsay Dowling, Open Research Support Unit (ORSU), Technological University Dublin,
- Herman Strøm, NOR-CAM and Norwegian national CoARA coordination,
- Núria Benitez Monforte, Research Centres of Catalonia network,
- dr. Franci Demšar (PhD), Director of the Slovenian Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education,
- dr. Klemen Miklavič (PhD), Assistant Director of the Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency,
- prof. dr. Dean Korošak (PhD) (Vice-Rector for Science and Research at UM and Representative of the Rectors’ Conference of the Republic of Slovenia),
- dr. Andrej Pančur (PhD), President of the Coordination of Independent Non-Profit Research and Infrastructure Institutes.
The round table will be moderated by Maja Peharc, SPOZNAJ project officer, Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation.
You can attend the event in person at the University of Maribor Rectorate (Slomškov trg 15, Maribor) or remotely via the YouTube channel. Registration is mandatory and is possible until all available places are filled.
The festival will feature a varied accompanying program, including the exhibition Get to know Slovenian open science, which toured Koper and Ljubljana in 2025. The exhibition will be on display at Slomškov trg in Maribor between June 3 and 15, 2026.
More information can be found on the website of the University of Maribor.
You are kindly invited!
More about the project SPOZNAJ >>
Project SPOZNAJ is co-financed by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation and the European Union – NextGenerationEU through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.
