Visit of the President of the Republic of Estonia
The National Institute of Chemistry was honored by a visit from the President of the Republic of Estonia, Mr. Alar Karis, who was in Slovenia on the occasion of the Bled Strategic Forum. He was accompanied by the Estonian Ambassador to Slovenia, Her Excellency Ms. Jana Vanaveski.
During the visit, we presented to the President the research and innovation activities of the Institute as well as our collaborations with Estonian research institutions. He toured several laboratories and met with researchers, including Estonian PhD student Madis Lusi from the Laboratory of Electrocatalysis.
The program highlighted the work of the Department of Synthetic Biology and Immunology, the progress in establishing the Centre for Gene and Cell Therapy Technologies, as well as research in the Laboratory for Modern Battery Systems and efforts to launch the Center for Development, Demonstration and Training for Carbon-Free Technologies in Kisovec. The President was also introduced to the scanning transmission electron microscope with atomic resolution, one of our key pieces of research infrastructure.
The visit concluded on the Institute’s green roof, where Dr. Jože Bavcon and Dr. Blanka Ravnjak from the University of Ljubljana Botanic Garden presented the concept of the roof, planted with numerous Slovenian native species, including five endemic plants.
President Alar Karis has a strong academic background. Trained as a biologist and geneticist, he previously served as Rector of the Estonian University of Life Sciences and later as Rector of the University of Tartu, where he made a significant contribution to the development of Estonian research and higher education.
