Minister Andrijanič was received today at a courtesy meeting by Prof. Gregor Majdič. The Minister of Digital Transformation briefed the Rector on the current activities of the Government Office for Digital Transformation. Among the tasks facing the new government office, he highlighted the introduction of a digital voucher for lifelong learning, which is planned next year, and the establishment of an international institute for applied artificial intelligence.

One of the central themes touched upon at the meeting was the promotion of interdisciplinary and international programmes at Slovenia's largest university. In this regard, Minister Andrijanič stressed that science should be more actively linked with entrepreneurship, as this will accelerate innovation and start-ups in Slovenia. Prof. Majdič said that, when funding research and development projects, it is crucial to properly supervise the use of funds.

Both the Minister and the Rector are aware that Slovenia has not yet exhausted all the possibilities of attracting ICT experts back to their home country, but at the same time we are facing the challenge of how retaining the talent we educate in Slovenia.

Minister Andrijanič highlighted the fact that Slovenia is lagging behind other more developed countries in teaching digital skills in primary and upper secondary schools. The Rector agreed that the basics and logics of IT content, such as programming, should be introduced into the curriculum as soon as possible.

At the end of the meeting, Minister Andrijanič and Rector Majdič   made a commitment to sound and more active cooperation between the University of Ljubljana and the Strategic Council for Digitisation.