Geography of Slovenia - national research programme

Geography of Slovenia is a pure research program, which the ZRC SAZU Anton Melik Geographical Institute has been carrying out since its foundation in 1946 when the systematic study of Slovenian glaciers began. Through its l ong-term funding mechanism, the Geography of Slovenia research program comprehensively explores geographical processes and phenomena, Slovenian landscapes, and their spatial characteristics. In the new period the Program will focus on exploring and understanding both long-term and current geographical processes and phenomena. At the horizontal level, our research will comprise a comprehensive study of Slovenian regions and landscapes and their position in the wider geographical environment and contexts, while at the vertical level we will study a combination of natural and social elements. In the next program period, our research will be enhanced through four converging approaches: horizontal and vertical research and research from the perspective of centrality and peripherality.

We will study topics that fully match the priorities of both the wider research community and the social environment, and we will focus on the main thematic areas: 1. Physical geography, including natural hazards as a response to the challenges of climate change; 2. Human geography, including regional planning to address the challenging spatial problems of contemporary society; 3. Regional geography, including geographical names to analyze regional geographical elements in order to contribute to a less conflicting spatial and social development; 4. Environmental protection, including protected areas to contribute to a better understanding and conservation of particularly vulnerable (i.e., peripheral) landscapes. 5. With reference to geographic information systems, where emphasis will be on thematic cartography, we will support other thematic areas by applying state-of-the-art spatial research methods, including the use of remote sensing.

Through the research approach applied, the research group will respond to the contemporary challenges in an inclusive manner, facilitating the development of the selected areas of geography. In addition, by releasing publications in Slovenian and disseminating the latest international geographical research findings in Slovenia, we will cultivate geographical terminology, and, by publishing our research results with foreign publishers and in international journals, we will promote the international transfer of Slovenian knowledge. The Geography of Slovenia program will contribute to a better understanding of the geography of Slovenia as a whole and its regions in terms of both their relative centrality and peripherality. Thus, it will help shape new geographical theoretical concepts and methodological tools, which will increase the importance of geography and Slovenia's spatial capital.

The research group involved in the programme will focus mainly on:

• publishing the Acta geographica Slovenica journal, which has achieved the highest impact factor among Slovenian science journals in 2011 (http://ags.zrc-sazu.si), and the Geography of Slovenia (26) and Georhythm (22) scientific monograph series. Individual volumes in the GIS in Slovenia (GIS v Sloveniji) series are published on even years, volumes in the Regional Development series (Regionalni razvoj) are published on odd years, and volumes in the Natural Hazards series (Naravne nesreče) are published every third year;
• organisation of three traditional scientific symposiums and a number of other scientific meetings;
• training junior researchers;
• promoting exchange of researchers from Slovenia and abroad;

In this new period, the goal of the programme will be to encourage research excellence, mobility, knowledge exchange and interdisciplinarity through international and bilateral cooperation, and to boost the scope of the programme by including projects funded by the EU – and vice versa - as well as increase our publishing activities abroad.
Up until now, our programme has been famous for its input of knowledge in solving social challenges (assessment of agricultural land ratings, mapping of risks caused by natural hazards, innovative strategies of municipal development, involvement in the national border arbitration procedure). In addition, our know-how has been applied in several policy-making documents such as the Strategy of Development of Slovenia 2014-2020.

Significance for science: 

Research Program Geography of Slovenia is a long-term funding of basic research of the ZRC SAZU Anton Melik Geographical Institute research group. It explores Slovenian landscapes and regions, and their spatial characteristics in a comprehensive way. In the next program period, the Program will be upgraded, in the light of the development of modern geographical science, and thus, contribute to the creation of new knowledge on the basis of two convergent approaches. The research program will bet on scientific excellence by exploring current and socially relevant themes and by working with various institutions in various fields. It will promote the transfer of knowledge and, through interdisciplinary integration in the bilateral and international space, support the horizontal and vertical mobility of researchers. Given the current performance of the Program Research Group, we can ensure that, based on a Program that will co-finance these activities, we will be involved in a number of national and international research projects. We will continue with the organization of traditional scientific symposia and other scientific meetings, especially in the framework of international associations, thus allowing a scientific discussion within the science and public. We will train young researchers, and the program will support cooperation in foreign and domestic scientific exchanges and cooperate with higher education institutions when transferring scientific knowledge.

Significance for Slovenia:

The program will work with other public and private institutions, State and local governance bodies, where it will contribute to the rational use of space and limited natural resources of the regionally diverse Republic of Slovenia. Our research of vulnerable peripheral landscapes will enable the preservation of a cultural landscape, while the research of centrality is important from the point of view of mitigating climate change and increase in safety against natural hazards, including the use of environmentally friendly technologies. This will help to use the spatial capital or create effective policies and measures to overcome the current situation in society, the economy and culture in Slovenia and its regional and local subunits. Our geographic research will be direct spatial activities, such as settlement and infrastructure construction, the spatial perspectives of the economy and the use of natural resources. The research program will contribute to the protection of Slovenian natural and cultural heritage, the establishment of an inclusive society by recording areas with special natural or social conditions, reducing spatial conflicts and eliminating differences in quality of life between regions, cities and rural areas, protection against natural and other disasters, limiting consequences of overtourism and awareness of people on the importance of landscapes as the spatial capital of the state.

The Program will contribute to an internal balanced understanding of the development of central and peripheral regions and cities and rural areas, and will take care of greater connectivity and more efficient integration of Slovenia into international scientific, social, economic and cultural flows. The acquired knowledge will be disseminated to the public and managers with popular and media posts, including state-of-the-art social media, and through membership in national and international institutions, chambers of chambers and committees, such as the Government Commission for the standardization of geographical names based on our establishment, and the European Science and Technology Group at the UNDRR.

Researchers