Update January 2000: Slovenia

1. Type of Action: CALL

Over the last three months, there were a few calls for projects with coverage of Information Society technologies.

Within the national research programme, the following two calls were published:

• Public call for (co-)financing of basic and applied research projects of the national research programme in the year 2000 (O.G. RS, No. 81-82/99, 8 October 1999).
• Additional public call for (co-)financing of basic and applied research projects of the national research programme in the year 2000 (O.G. RS, No. 88/99, 29 October 1999).

Amongst the priority fields were information infrastructure technologies, and information society services and applications. The total budget was 190 and 115 million tolars (0.96 and 0.58 million euros) for the first and second call, respectively.

Another call stems from governmental programmes for the promotion of technology development and innovation aimed at subsidising the following activities or organisations:

• promotion of technology development projects,
• employment of researchers with completed doctoral or master degrees in industry,
• technology centres,
• technology parks, and
• development of products (aimed at getting patents issued) within innovation centres.

Within this framework, the Ministry of Small Business and Tourism together with the Small Business Development Centre published a public call for financial incentives to support innovation activities (O.G. RS, No. 88/99, 29 October 1999). This public call was a fairly general one covering all fields of innovation activities. The total budget was 11 million tolars (56 thousand euros).

One more call was published, i.e. a public call for the subsidisation of operating costs of infrastructure development centres (O.G. RS, No. 88/99, 29 October 1999). The total budget was 60 million tolars (0.3 million euros). However, branch technology centres, in particular the classical industries were solely eligible.

Apart from the Government, technology development was also supported by the municipalities. As an example, the Municipality of Maribor published a public call for applied research projects financed in 1999 (O.G.RS, No. 84/99, 15 October 1999) with one of the themes being the role of the Internet in the functioning of local self-government in Maribor.

A call for tenders for the presentation of Slovene scientific and technological achievements, and Slovene manufacturers of high technologies at international events and fairs abroad and in the Republic of Slovenia in 2000 is scheduled for December.

2. Type of Action: COMM

During the last three months, there were various communication activities aimed at promoting the Information Society in Slovenia.

The National Education Institute continued with the Computer Literacy Development Programme (Ro). Open days and seminars took place at primary and secondary as well as nursery schools. Within six years, the Government spent over 25 million euros on Ro. More than 10 thousand computers were introduced into schools (amounting to almost 17.000 computers altogether) and halls of residence, and almost all schools were connected to the Internet. In addition, teachers attended 2000 three-day seminars and 21 didactic handbooks were prepared.

Between 26 September and 29 November, the Congress Ro/2 took place all over Slovenia including 140 primary and secondary schools. The closing of the Congress was held at the seminar and fair: INFOS’99 – The doorway to the 21 century. At this event on 25 November, the Congress activities were discussed and schools were represented over a videoconference system. During INFOS, one-day seminars were organised for teachers on using information technology in schools.

The Centre for Distance Education Development participated in the Megaconference event on 11 October 1999, organised within the scope of the Internet2 Conference in Seattle. Over 70 educational and research organisations from all over the World participated. The Centre was commended for the successful participation and its presentation in the first global videoconference.

In October, the National and University Library started the digitalisation of a valuable medieval collection of Slavic codes from the private collection of the philologist and first Slovene grammarian Jernej Kopitar (1780-184). The collection is one of the oldest scientific collections of manuscripts in Cyrillic alphabet in the world. It comprises approximately 13 thousand parchment sheets bound in 34 units and includes extremely valuable manuscripts from 11^th century. As there is great demand for scientific investigation of manuscripts, the digitalisation would make access much easier as only 20 per cent of these manuscripts are presently available on microfilm. The National and University Library is amongst the first institutions in Slovenia to start with the digitalisation of documents. The process of digitalisation of old parchments also requires state of the art equipment.

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIS) prepared an import / export directory of Slovene Companies – SLO-EXPORT for the fifth consecutive year. It is available on CD-ROM and on-line. The SLO-EXPORT directory is a part of the promotional campaign of the CCIS. The on-line database includes data on all major Slovene companies, which accounted for more than 90% of Slovenia’s total exports and 70% of total imports in 1998. A CD-ROM version includes additional information about the Slovene business environment.

Almost at the same time as the CCIS, Gospodarski vestnik d.d. published a directory of Slovene companies Kompass’99. It is also available on CD-ROM and on-line. It includes 13.400 companies (only those with the revenue over one hundred thousand US dollars are included). The product is a part of an integral on-line business information system GV-IN that also provides financial information on almost 35.000 companies.

One quarter of all Municipalities are already presented on-line. The Municipality of Ljubljana launched a virtual presentation of Slovene Capital. Besides on-line presentations, Information Society technology is becoming central to services for citizens, as well.

The most important events relating to the Information Society in Slovenia were:

• Modern Electronics ’99 – International exhibition of professional electronics, telecommunications, radio and television broadcasting, production equipment, components, functional units and materials, high-technology and know-how (Ljubljana, 4-8 October 1999)
• Information Society ’99 – Second Multiconference (Ljubljana, 12-14 October 1999)
• INFOS’99 – The doorway to the 21 century (Ljubljana, 25-29 October 1999)
• Meeting for CIOs – Usage of Information technology for Electronic Commerce (Ljubljana, 10 November 1999)
• Ninth Telecommunications Workshop – Managing Networks and Services (Brdo pri Kranju, 22-23 November 1999)
• Statistical Days ’99 – Electronic Commerce and Statistics (Radenci, 22-24 November 1999)
• INDO’99 – Governmental Informatics for the Third Millennium (Portoroz, 6-8 December 1999)

3 Type of Action: SURV

The Information Technology Association is preparing an analysis of the Slovene IT industry and services sector. The results are expected to be available in January 2000.

The Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Ljubljana completed the autumn survey on Internet usage.

4 Type of Action: PUB

There were several initiatives aimed at stirring various bodies, especially the Government, to put more emphasis on the promotion of Information Society. At the closure of INFOS’99, an open letter to the Government and National Assembly was prepared, signed and sent on 7 December 1999. The participants of the event stressed a need for:

• active promotion of the information and communications technology usage,
• a national strategy to promote the Information Society within the educational as well as business sectors,
• consideration of development issues in decision making,
• promotion of natural sciences and technical professions, and
• a predictable legal framework for electronic commerce.

At the 17^th regular session of the National Assembly, a Member of the Assembly and President of the Science and Technology Committee Mr Samo Bevk made an appeal to the Government to form a commission that would formulate its views on the development of Slovenia in the Information Society and submit the document to the Government. Based on this document, the Government should prepare a national strategy for a Digital Slovenia and pass it to the National Assembly for adoption.

The Slovene Society INFORMATIKA prepared a draft document "Slovenia as the Information Society".

5 Type of Action: EXPE

The Information Technology Association set up a task force to prepare a business led strategy for the Digital Economy in Slovenia.

During the multiconference Information Society ’99, large telecommunications services users held a meeting at which the need to establish a telecommunications users group was expressed. At the meeting Mr Tomaz Kalin and Mr Joze Vugrinec were set the task of establishing a Slovene Telecommunications Users Group (SITuG). They started talks with the Information Technology Association to establish a SITuG Section within the Association.

At the meeting in Thessaloniki on 23 October 1999, Dr Dusan Caf, Secretary of the Information Technology Association, signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the Development of Electronic Commerce in the Southeast Europe Region. It was signed by 20 governmental and commercial association representatives from Southeast Europe. At the meeting, it was also agreed to establish a task force with the aim of promoting e-business in Southeast Europe. Participating countries have appointed members to constitute the task force. Projects of common interest will be elaborated including the provision of adequate financial sources for their implementation, either at national or international level. The first task force meeting took place in Thessaloniki on 10 December 1999.

One of the first goals of the task force will be to prepare a project proposal for the European Fifth Framework Programme.