Slovenes worried about R&D cuts if reform act is not passed

Reform and protection of Slovenia’s clunky research funding system is urgently needed, academic leaders say

Fears of a coming recession caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, and resulting cuts to public R&D spending, make the job of pushing through long-awaited reforms to Slovenia’s research system even more urgent, academics have told Research Professional News.

Slovenia’s draft Research and Innovation Activity Act aims to bring much-needed reforms to the country’s research system. At present, universities and research institutes must bid for almost all their funding from the Slovenian Research Agency, with very little guaranteed to meet basic needs.