About the Institute
The National Institute of Chemistry has 465 employees (31. 12. 2024), of which around 405 carry out research work in 8 departments and 3 infrastructure centers; 192 of these have doctorates of science degrees.
Fields of activity
Research
Basic and applied research are oriented towards fields which are of long-term importance to both Slovenia and the world: materials research, life sciences, biotechnology, chemical engineering, structural and theoretical chemistry, analytical chemistry and environmental protection; through which the institute is in line with the needs of the domestic and foreign pharmaceutical, chemical, automotive and nanobiotechnological industries. The work of the Institute is also in line with the priority thematic areas of the EU Research and Innovation programme Horizon 2020, which places an emphasis on nanotechnology, genomics and biotechnology for health, climate change, energy, sustainable development and global change and quality and safety of food.
Education
Currently 130 graduate students are being trained at the Institute within the national Young Researchers Program for the acquisition of their PhD degrees. The young researchers represent about 34% of the Institute's staff members, making National Institute of Chemistry one of the leading Slovenian organizations for graduate-level education and training.
Cooperation with industry
Research is oriented towards the development of new technologies and products, which will help to ensure the long-term development of Slovenia and which are internationally relevant. Industry is an important partner to the Institute in these endeavors. There are a number of Slovenian companies with whom the Institute has entered into close long-term cooperation, as well as a number of well-regarded foreign companies. From a financial point of view, this kind of cooperation represents 20% of the income of the Institute.
Contact with world science
The Institute offers high-level research equipment, allowing researchers to engage in even the most cutting edge research challenges at the world level. Some acquisitions are: a Karl Zeiss Supra 35 VP Electronic Microscope with EDX analysis, a high resolution powder x-ray diffractometer, and an 800 MHz NMR spectrometer; these are the only ones of their kind in Slovenia. The NMR spectrometer is the first of this kind of instrument to be found in the new member states of EU and represents one of the largest investments in a free-standing piece of research equipment in Slovenia.
The National Institute of Chemistry was the first research institution in Slovenia to obtain ISO 9001 standards in December 2003 with the goal of improving the conditions, as well as organization and effectiveness, of its work.