Today, in a festive and official meeting, a contract was signed between the University of Ljubljana and RESILIENCE, giving the university the observer status in RESILIENCE. This makes the University of Ljubljana the first institution to receive this status.
Receiving the observer status includes that the University of Ljubljana will receive certain privileges, like being informed on the development in the project, getting access to resources, participation in the General Assembly, etc. Both parties also discussed more in detail how a collaboration within RESILIENCE can look like. For example, the integration of Slovenian digital projects on Religious Studies seems obvious.
The meeting today was attended by Dr. Albin Kralj of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation. As he emphasized in his welcome word, the entering or RESILIENCE in Slovenia’s National RI roadmap (NRRI 2030) has political status and is an important precondition for further steps, at the same time the ministry is awaiting further developments with interest.
By signing the agreement, RESILIENCE welcomes its first observer. For RESILIENCE the joining of the University of Ljubljana means an enlargement of the consortium in a country which was not yet represented among the partners. It also opens perspectives on future collaboration. It is foreseen that the University of Ljubljana is going to lead other Slovenian institutions (Science and Research Centre Koper, Alma Mater Europaea ISH and Alma Mater Europaea ECM) in the construction of a so-called national hub for RESILIENCE. It will take on a coordinating role, which is recognized by the Slovenian government.
Prof. Janez Vodičar, Dean of the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Theology, being asked on how he sees the future of Religious Studies in Slovenia in the context of RESILIENCE: “I see a future in Slovenia in which we put together different approaches of religion in Slovenia and in which we can cooperate better for good solutions in our society.”
Watch the whole video here:
Prof. Herman Selderhuis, member of RESILIENCE’s Enlargement Committee: “Unique about the participation of the University of Ljubljana is that both the government and the academic institutions bring in their support and their expertise. For RESILIENCE this is a very important step forward.”
Visual: Matej Purger