News

Today, October 14, 2026, this year’s recipients of the highest national awards and recognitions for outstanding achievements in scientific research and development (Zois and Puh awards and prizes, and the Ambassador of Science of the Republic of Slovenia) were announced in Ljubljana. Among the recipients is Prof. Dr. Ademir Hujdurović (UP FAMNIT, UP IAM), who received the Zois Award for significant achievements in in the field of algebraic and structural graph theory.

This year marked the fifth edition of StartUP, the traditional social and sports event. As in previous years, the second Saturday in October was an opportunity for first-year students, students in higher years of study, university support services, and everyone who supports students throughout their studies at the University of Primorska to come together in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere.

Between 21-23 September 2026 UP FAMNIT hosted the fourth edition of the Applied Statistics International Conference (AS 2026), which serves as the official annual meeting of the Statistical Society of Slovenia. For over two decades, the conference has represented an important interdisciplinary meeting point for researchers, methodologists, and experts working in the fields of statistics, data science, and their various applications.

The scientific journal Nature has published the article “How research funding took me out of the lab and into leadership” by Dr. Anna Sandak from UP IAM InnoRenew CoE. In it, she describes securing two major European research projects that transformed both the scope of her research and her role as a researcher and leader.

Today, 14 September 2026, the kick-off meeting for the project WISE – From Widening to Urban Sustainability Innovation and Excellence, carried out within the framework of the Transform4Europe (T4EU) alliance, was held in Izola. Project partners gathered at UP IAM InnoRenew CoE, and today’s event officially launched the project, which will run from September 2026 to August 2030. Over the next four years, the WISE project will focus on three main objectives aimed at strengthening research excellence, institutional capacities, and researcher career development.

On Friday, 4 September 2026, a ceremony was held in Ljubljana to unveil a memorial plaque dedicated to Ivo Lah, one of the leading and internationally recognised actuaries of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. The ceremony took place in the premises of the former District Office for Insurance (OUZD), which today serves as the headquarters of the Health Insurance Institute of Slovenia (ZZZS).

You are cordially invited to the inaugural lecture by Prof. Dr. Matthew John Schwarzkopf, Full Professor in the field of Wood Science, titled “Rooted in Nature: Learning from Wood,” which will take place on September 11, 2026, at 13:00 in the Sequoia Lecture Hall (1st floor) at UP IAM InnoRenew CoE, Livade 6a, 6310 Izola.

Today, 28 August 2026, marks the end of the five-day conference Structural Graph Theory Workshop on the Adriatic Coast, held at the UP IAM InnoRenew CoE in Izola. The conference brought together 22 participants from Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Slovenia, South Korea, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Upon arrival, participants were welcomed by the innovative and pleasant architectural design of the InnoRenew building, after which the program and scheduled activities commenced.

Between 25 and 27 August, Prof. Gustavo Curcio, Executive Coordinator of the Rector’s Office at the University of Săo Paulo (USP), Brazil, visited UP. The visit represents a strengthening of cooperation and engagement in global partnerships, as the university in question is one of the global partners of the Transform4Europe (T4EU) alliance – Prof. Curcio was thus among the signatories of the memorandum of understanding between T4EU and the University of São Paulo, which took place during the T4EU Week in Lisbon in May. By extending this invitation, UP is not only following its strategy of deepening cooperation with global partners, but is also strengthening the ties of the entire alliance.

On Monday, 24 August 2026, the Structural Graph Theory Workshop on the Adriatic Coast conference began at the UP IAM Innorenew CoE premises and will run until 28 August. The conference brings together 22 participants from 11 countries: the Czech Republic, France, Italy, South Korea, Canada, Germany, Poland, Slovenia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

After nearly five decades, the answer to a question posed by Slovenian mathematician Prof. Dragan Marušič in 1979 is finally known: yes. Young mathematicians Saul D. Freedman and Melissa Lee have found a counterexample that disproves the policirculant conjecture. Their result is an important development in discrete mathematics and graph theory and has attracted considerable attention from the research community.

UP IAM InnoRenew CoE is seeking a dynamic and motivated candidate for a doctoral research project focused on understanding how thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) processing changes the hierarchical structure and properties of wood. The research will combine advanced characterisation at the new HB-SAXS beamline as well as with experiments at Elettra Synchrotron Trieste facilities and complementary laboratory methods.