University of Nova Gorica

The University of Nova Gorica (UNG) aims to be a research oriented and student friendly university, where knowledge is formed within a harmonious relationship between students and researchers, so that the knowledge can be transferred to younger generations and into business environment.

1. Status
UNG is a private university institution. The status enables the university a flexible organisation and modes of activities, and an easier adjustment to the demands of modern society.

2. Internal organisation
UNG is a university with strong internal organisational links. Research and expert work is done in laboratories, centres and institutes. The University’s faculties are open educational and teaching units with researchers and experts coming from diverse research departments and external institutions. In the coming years UNG will aim to establish a harmonious link between experts and students from diverse research and professional disciplines. At the same time, the University will aim to transfer its entire activity to one place, i.e., one campus.

Also, common student and staff services operate on the level of university.

The University’s operation aims to be more in line with that of a modern enterprise rather than that of a traditional academic institution.

3. Research
At the University, research and expert work forms a basis for carrying out studying programmes. The University’s researchers should strongly aim to enter and participate in international research processes and projects. Our researchers and teachers are expected to be highly educated scientists and experts with international experience. Candidates for full time employment are expected to have done their postdoctoral education abroad.

4. Teaching
UNG aims to be a high quality higher education institution with a competitive advantage in an international context.

Our university teachers can only be researchers or experts with a wider, i.e. international acclaim. The teaching and learning work with students should include research and practical work as much as possible both at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Hence UNG will aim to have an optimal student – teacher ratio in all its study programmes as well as an optimal research – teaching ratio. In the long-term, all disciplines are expected to achieve a 1:1 research – teaching ratio.

The University will try to ensure a continual involvement of experts from the fields of economy and industry in the educational process.

A special care will be devoted to international links as well as to student and teacher exchange programmes. A choice of the language of study will be adapted to this aim, especially at the postgraduate level.

Notwithstanding its international trends, UNG will ensure to develop a specific research and teaching activity aiming to strongly support the position of Slovenes on their western state border.

5. Transfer of knowledge to business environment
Co-operation with industry and business environment should be an imperative for all those working at UNG. In this way proper conditions for knowledge transfer from an academic institution into an enterprise context are created. Also, the University and its activities would be able to get a wider recognition while at the same time students’ employability could be properly enhanced.

UNG is the initiator and co-founder of the Technological Park of Primorska, which should, among other things, strongly contribute to the creation of a business environment for the University’s graduates, postgraduates and doctoral students. In the coming year the University will set up an Office for Knowledge Transfer.

6. Students
UNG will aim to accept the best students into its study programmes and will provide optimal studying conditions, circumstances permitting. Regardless of its independent status, UNG will ensure to promote scholarship programmes so that its study programmes are accessible to all social classes.

A specific feature of UNG should be studying based on practical problem solving. Hence students should be involved in practical and research work as much as possible within the institution itself, or within partner research and higher education institutions, or within industry.

UNG will aim to ensure a high employability of its graduates. In order to achieve the aim, the University will set up a special service, which would help the students search for and find a job. The University’s aim is that 80% of its Bachelors, Masters or Doctoral students finds employment within six months of graduation.

7. Finance
UNG believes that one of its advantages is the diversity of ways in which its activities are financed. The University will therefore continue to rely on a number of sources, not only on those coming from the state funds. An important part of the university’s financial sources should come from international funds, local community, industry, students’ tuition fee, donations, etc.

UNG is the founder of a foundation named Edvard Rusjan foundation. This foundation is the only one of its kind in Slovenia and one of a few in Europe. Its aim is to raise donation funds so that these can be used for further development of the University as well as for expansion and realisation of its activities. Our aim is that over the next two decades the foundation will have contributed 20 to 25% to the overall financing of the University.

8. Future development
In the future, UNG will focus on the development of masters and doctoral study programmes, and on scientific and research activities.