The year 2025 is a year of recognition for the exceptional work of our researchers and the professional and support teams at GeoZS. Strategically focused, carefully planned, and exceptionally high-quality scientific research has been and remains the foundation of our work. The year 2025 in particular demonstrated that our knowledge, combined with exceptional motivation, openness, and comprehensive perspective of our teams provides the foundation not only for our work within the strict realm of scientific research but also for a competitive advantage in various markets.

Stable funding for research programs and our development and infrastructure activities has given us an additional boost in research. Throughout the year, we added new projects to our numerous research, development, and innovation initiatives. Of particular note is the launch of the Extreme Earth project, which is, in a sense, a historic milestone for our institute. We are leading one of only four so-called »major projects« approved for implementation by ARIS in its first call for proposals of this kind. Extreme Earth, which brings together seven partner organizations, symbolizes the interdisciplinary nature and high quality of research into the effects of extreme weather events on the Earth’s surface.

Major developments took place in 2025 in the field of critical raw materials. As a local partner, GeoZS helped organize and host a conference on critical raw materials, which took place as part of the European project »International Round Table on Materials Criticality (IRTC).« We hosted the event in Ljubljana, where 180 representatives of companies, researchers, and decision-makers from countries around the world gathered. 

Slovenia has taken an important step in the field of critical minerals, as the Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted the National Research Programme for Critical Minerals (NRP) in July, in accordance with the requirements of the EU Regulation establishing a framework for ensuring a secure and sustainable supply of critical minerals. The GeoZS was the lead agency and coordinator for the preparation of the expert basis.. The main objective of the NRP is to obtain up-to-date and comprehensive information on the geological structure and potential of the Slovenian territory for critical mineral resources. The development of the NRP has been coordinated with our European partners in EuroGeoSurveys and the requirements and expectations of the European Commission. We hope that, following the revision that is currently underway, it will be evaluated as excellent, that it will be implemented in Slovenia as soon as possible and that GeoZS will be an important partner in this process.

When it comes to critical mineral resources, there is another important development we cannot overlook. In May, we officially presented in Nova Gorica International Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Resource Management for Europe (ICE-SRM EU), which is headquartered at GeoZS. The Center of Excellence will play a strategic role in building capacity and coordinating best practices for UNFC classification and resource management across Europe.

This year’s Earth Day, on April 22, was dedicated to the importance of collecting and making geological data accessible, and to our role in protecting the planet in the face of climate change. Together with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning, we organized an expert discussion at which participants presented systemic measures in the field of spatial planning, aspects of seismic activity, landslides, mining and raw material extraction, as well as key legal and informational frameworks designed to mitigate the consequences of natural disasters.

This year, GeoZS has further strengthened its role and position in the international scientific research community. International cooperation and internationalization are becoming an increasingly important factor in all areas of our work. We are particularly pleased that our team is also becoming increasingly international. Although our main task is to gain a thorough understanding of Slovenia, the knowledge we need to do so must be built upon the knowledge of the entire planet—and vice versa—which also includes our international colleagues.

Lead partner

GeoZS is ready to face the challenges of the future. With unwavering perseverance and innovation in scientific research and in advancing knowledge, especially among our young people and future colleagues. This is also why we were delighted to accept the invitation from the ZRC SAZU Graduate School and help establish the new 4D Earth study program.  We are even more pleased that this exceptionally interesting doctoral program has gotten off the ground and that the first students have already enrolled in it for the 2025–2026 academic year. 

Interdisciplinarity, breadth, international scope, and the sustainable development of scientific research are the foundations upon which we also build all of our consulting activities. These range from increasingly demanding tasks in the context of providing expert support to the government on issues related to mineral resources, water and land management, and environmental matters, to consulting on the most challenging construction projects. We were also pleased to participate in two major construction projects that, from our perspective, are nearly complete: the completion of excavation work on the second tube of the Karawanks highway tunnel and the completion of construction work on the second track of the Divača–Koper railway line.

We have not forgotten our infrastructure. Alongside significant investment in research infrastructure, we have renovated our laboratories and built a storage facility for boreholes and other geological samples for the first time since we moved into our new premises in 1989.

At the end of this year, we were delighted to receive yet another positive acknowledgment of our past and future work; on behalf of my colleagues, I accepted an award from the dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering at the University of Ljubljana, Prof. Dr. Andrej Šmuc, an award presented to GeoZS for its long-standing collaboration with the Department of Geology in the fields of research, education, and the promotion of geosciences. This recognition fills us with pride and satisfaction. We know that we are doing good work—after all, we receive numerous acknowledgments for it—but awards from our inner circle, from our teachers and close colleagues who know us truly well, are especially precious to us. 

 We are looking forward to the coming year, as—in addition to our work—a whole range of activities awaits us as we celebrate the 80th anniversary of GeoZS.  And if I may draw on the somewhat poetic saying that »the Earth is our mother,« I hope that on this important milestone in our work, the idea that  »the geosciences are her children« will resonate with everyone who cares about the kind of future we are heading toward.

Dr. Miloš Bavec, Director