Univerza v Ljubljani

The University of Ljubljana fosters basic, applied and developmental research, and strives to achieve excellence and the highest quality as well as to fulfil the highest ethical criteria in all areas of the sciences and arts. The research is done in all scientific areas as classified by the Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS). The UL is present in biotechnical sciences, natural sciences, humanities, social sciences, engineering and medicine sciences, as well as in most of the sub areas. In all these disciplines it offers numerous undergraduate and postgraduate study programs. It also promotes interdisciplinary and multi-disciplinary studies which are all in line with Bologna process principles and competitive in the European labour market.

The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (FME), a member of the University of Ljubljana, has a more than 60 years long tradition both academically as well as in terms of research and expertise, and has developed a national and international reputation. It has a clear vision to become the leading teaching and research institution for mechanical engineering in Slovenia, Central and Southeast Europe while maintaining the highest educational and professional standards. As a teaching institution the FME offers applied sciences and university courses at undergraduate and postgraduate level. It has strong links with national and foreign industry, and is intensively involved in a number of international R&D projects, research clusters, centers of excellence, and technology networks. The research at the FME is organized in Chairs and Laboratories.

Prof. Igor Emri, a member of the Consortium and the Scientific Committee of Transnational and Transdisciplinary Educational Erasmus Mundus Programme EURHEO, is the head of the Chair for Mechanics of Polymers and Composites (MPC), which is responsible for teaching, while basic science and applied research for industrial and governmental organizations is organized within the Center for Experimental Mechanics (CEM). The CEM masters the topmost knowledge about time-dependent behavior of polymers and polymer-based macro- and nanocomposites.

The global aim of the CEM is to implement this superior knowledge into existing technological processes with the vision of development and commercialization of new ‘high-tech’ products and technologies. To create specific conditions, required for a fast transfer of basic knowledge to the market, at the end of 2008 the Institute for Sustainable Innovative Technologies (iSIT) was founded. With the iSIT we are introducing into the Slovenian and European space an innovative industrial R&D environment (platform) for integrative interdisciplinary private-public cooperation aiming at enhancing competitive capacities and strategic opportunities for enterprises in all economic sectors, and consequently contribute to the progress and prosperity of the society. Such an approach requires the enthusiasm and energy possessed only by the young! This is why the iSIT implements the integrative interdisciplinary post-graduate programmes such as EURHEO within the framework of its main activities. The vision of the iSIT is to become an industrial integrative research, development and educational centre of leading scientists, talented mentors and young researchers from the Central and South-Eastern Europe.