UP IAM researchers at the SWST 2026 International Convention in Seoul
Researchers from the UP IAM InnoRenew CoE participated in the SWST 2026 International Convention, held from 7–12 June 2026 at COEX in Seoul, South Korea.
IRIC2026 Conference to be hosted at UP IAM InnoRenew CoE
The International InnoRenew CoE Conference 2026 (IRIC2026) will take place on 5–6 November 2026 at the UP IAM InnoRenew CoE building in Izola, Slovenia. The conference provides an international forum for exploring renewable materials and their application in creating healthy and sustainable buildings, while placing a particular emphasis on supporting the career development of doctoral students and early-career researchers.
Researchers are kindly invited to submit abstracts by 15 August 2026 and participate in this year’s event.
Alpine Europe: Innovation in the Circular Economy 2026 Summer School Begins
Yesterday, 15 June 2026, marked the start of the two-week Alpine Europe: Innovation in the Circular Economy 2026 Summer School, which brings together students from the University of Primorska, Oregon State University, Saarland University, and partner institutions through learning, collaboration, and intercultural exchange.
University of Primorska on the future of the European bioeconomy with European Commissioner Jessika Roswall
Dr. Andreja Kutnar, Head of the InnoRenew CoE department, was among the invited speakers of the High-Level Stakeholder Dialogue “From Strategy to Action: Accelerating Europe’s Bioeconomy Revolution”, which was held in Brussels in the presence of Jessika Roswall, the European Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy.
University of Primorska at the NEB Festival in Brussels
On Tuesday, 9 June 2026, the New European Bauhaus (NEB) Festival opened in Brussels. The opening ceremony was attended by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council, António Costa, who visited a selection of exhibition stands. Among their first stops was the stand of the New European Bauhaus Academy (NEBA Alliance) project, where they met with Dr. Andreja Kutnar, the project coordinator and head of the UP IAM InnoRenew CoE department.
Best Paper Award at the ACM UMAP 2026 Conference
Prof Marko Tkalčič and assist. Uroš Sergaš from the Department of Information Sciences and Technologies at UP FAMNIT and UP IAM received the Best Paper Award in the Late-Breaking Results (LBR) category at the ACM UMAP 2026 international conference, which took place from June 8 to 11 in Gothenburg, Sweden.
The SediMateria project wins first place in the national BISC-E competition
A team of students from UP FAMNIT has won first place in the Slovenian selection of the Bio-based Innovation Student Challenge Europe (BISC-E). Thanks to this achievement in the Europe-wide student competition promoting bio-based innovation and entrepreneurship, the team has secured a place in the European final, where it will represent Slovenia in September 2026. This was also the University of Primorska's first participation in the competition.
IAWS Appoints First Female Vice President on Its 60th Anniversary – Prof Andreja Kutnar
On the occasion of its 60th anniversary, the International Academy of Wood Science (IAWS) has appointed its first female Vice President. Professor Andreja Kutnar of the University of Primorska was elected to this historic role on June 2, 2026. She has been a Fellow of the IAWS from 2021.