The Scientific Research Institute of The Faculty of Arts (ZIFF) is an organisational unit that oversees and coordinates scientific and research activities at the Faculty of Arts.
The Institute brings together university teachers and researchers at the Faculty of Arts. Scientific and research work is the second core activity of the Faculty of Arts and is conducted in the context of individual departments in connection with educational activities. The Institute’s research has achieved national and global recognition, particularly in the fields of the humanities and social sciences. The Faculty’s research activity represents a driving force behind the cooperation with its broader environment, as well as international cooperation.
The Institute has connected 450 researchers for a number of years and has managed approximately 100 projects annually, which places it among the largest research organisations in Slovenia and establishes it as the largest research organisation in the fields of the humanities and social sciences. We carry out basic research projects, target-oriented research projects, post-doctoral projects, international and developmental research projects, and other projects. Our research receives support from the Slovenian Research Agency, the Ministry of Education, Science, and Sport, the Ministry of Infrastructure, the European Commission, the economy, and individual contributors and donors.
Research activities can be grouped into professional and administrative-financial categories. The professional focus is entirely in the domain of those departments in charge of preparing and applying for projects with the Slovenian Research Agency, in accordance with regulations. The activity of the Institute is coordinated and managed by the Associate Dean of Research, together with the other managing body, the ZIFF Council. The latter, in cooperation with accounting and human resources services, provides appropriate counselling and information, as well as administrative-technical and financial services.
Since its founding, one of the priorities of the Institute has been the publication of the findings obtained through its research activities. The Institute has also developed its own publishing activities, which initially consisted of the financing and facilitation of the publication of research findings in various scientific and professional publications. In an effort to consolidate publications, the Institute established its own collection, Razprave FF (i.e. Discussions of the FA). At the same time, it also cooperated with other publishers and with other cultural and scientific institutions as a co-publisher and co-financier. The Institute has also provided co-financing for translations of publications by the Institute’s members that have been published abroad. It is an activity that the Institute also proudly maintains today.