We often hear that without science there would be no progress of our society. Various scientists, writers, academics and philosophers have provided their vision and understanding of what science is. It is described as something that produces knowledge as a public good. Today’s science is tomorrow’s new technology. Science is the poetry of reality, the fruit of curiosity; it allows exploration without any limits, the ability to use what we know and question what is yet unknown. It is part of our culture and one of the most important traditions of human intellectuality. Science is the key to our future as it is the driving force of our society’s progress. Precisely because of its great social value, it is very important that science goes hand in hand with government. At the level of the European Union, several bodies, institutions and programmes were developed in order to promote and encourage research and innovation by various tools and funding opportunities. In the framework of the European Union Research and Innovation program, the InnoRenew CoE research institute was established in 2016 as the main objective and result of a successfully obtained Horizon 2020 project. In Slovenia, we have the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport, which is responsible for the development of Slovenian science. When talking about development, we mean in particular the creation of space that enables and encourages research and innovation as well as financing opportunities for research projects. With this, new ideas can break through and the integration and co-creation of science on a global scale is possible.

This January, the Ministry prepared a proposal for a new law on research and development activities, and, for 2019, they foresee 24 million euros more than last year for these activities. Among the Ministry’s main development priorities in the field of science is the InnoRenew CoE and co-financing the construction of the institute’s buildings and acquisition of state-of-the-art research equipment that will contribute to scientific excellence and sustainable development of the environment.

The Ministry’s other development priorities in the field of science for the year 2019 and more about the financing mechanism of scientific projects can be read in the article Znanost moramo prepoznati kot gibalo napredka, published on the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport webpage.