ZRC SAZU - History and Mission

The Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (abbreviated in Slovenian as ZRC SAZU) was founded in 1981. The centre, active primarily in the humanities, social sciences, and selected disciplines within the natural sciences, has established itself in the Slovenian public space as the leading scientific-research institute. Today, it is composed of eighteen institutes with nearly three hundred researchers engaged in projects ranging from national to international, basic to applied, publicly supported to privately funded. The following is just a sampling of the many important activities undertaken at ZRC SAZU: the coordination of the Horizon-ERC project "Unde venis?" Unravelling the enigma of the stećci tombstones; the analysis and measurement of the Triglav Glacier for the last seventy years; the publication of The New Slovenian Biographical Lexicon; we develop portals such as Fran, Franček, Franja, Jezikovna svetovalnica (Linguistic Consultancy), and Terminologišče; the organisation of events such as Days of Ethnographic Film, Historical Seminar, the concert cycle Harmonia Concertans, the International Karstological School, and Slovenian Regional Days.

ZRC SAZU regularly presents our research results to the public through public events in venues such as ZRC Atrij (where the traditional Generations of Science event takes place once a year) and smaller events such as round tables for the launch of scientific projects and book releases. In this context, ZRC Atrij has become a fixture in Ljubljana’s cultural, social, and urban life. The recently renovated Gosposka and Križevniška halls have also emerged as conference and cultural venues.

ZRC SAZU's expansion from Slovenia's capital city Ljubljana to other parts of the country in only four decades is the result of a tremendous amount of dedication and hard work. During this time, ZRC SAZU has established the following four research stations outside of Ljubljana: Nova Gorica, Maribor, Barje, and Prekmurje.

In addition to its eighteen institutes, ZRC SAZU also includes the publishing unit Založba ZRC, which publishes both academic and non-academic books, and a large number of scientific and professional journals. Založba ZRC operates the Azil Bookshop specialising in literature in the fields of the humanities and social sciences. In 2024, the Maks Bookshop and Café opened at the Research Station in Nova Gorica and quickly became one of the central points of social life in Nova Gorica attracting visitors from across the border as well. In 2024, the online sales platform of Založba ZRC went live.

ZRC SAZU disseminates its research results through a number of digital channels. ZRC SAZU and its institutes are active on social media where its communication is not one-way or limited to passively presenting scientific findings but involves responding to questions and initiatives from the public. The professional journal Heriskop, the ethnological blog Vsakdanjik (Everyday Life), and the Episcope of Borderscapes project carried out by the Nova Gorica Research Station as part of the European Capital of Culture GO!2025 have excelled at reaching out and communicating to various audiences.

ZRC SAZU is also home to the editorial headquarters of the professional online journal Alternator, which was founded 2020 in collaboration with other Slovenian research institutes. The journal's aim is to transcend the polarisation between social sciences/humanities on the one hand and natural/technical sciences on the other. In collaboration with the University of Ljubljana and the Museum and Galleries of Ljubljana, Alternator organised its second conference on science communication in Slovenia in 2024.

ZRC SAZU is a co-founder of the Coordination of Research Institutes of Slovenia (KOsRIS) and the initiator of the Slovenian branch of March for Science, a global movement that is a platform for researchers questioning the understanding of science and their role in contemporary society and, when necessary, organising protest rallies to draw attention to the indispensability of research and government’s inadequate science policies.

ZRC SAZU is the Slovenian national hub for European Research Infrastructures such as EPOS, LifeWatch, eLTER, and OPERAS. It plays a significant role in the Support for the Implementation of Open Science Principles in Slovenia project (SPOZNAJ), which aims to integrate the principles of open science into scientific research practices.

ZRC SAZU also promotes the principle of responsible science, which defines research as a cognitive process embedded in a society composed of groups with different values, needs, and expectations.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced us to face numerous societal challenges, ZRC SAZU has increasingly opened itself to the outside world, emphasising the necessity of dialogue and communication with various publics and highlighting the indispensability of the humanities and social sciences both of which significantly contribute to a more comprehensive and accurate contextualisation of scientific findings.