📋 Tender Overview
On October 14 and 15, 2024, we hosted representatives of Latin American countries (LAC) on a study visit in the field of artificial intelligence. Experts from Brazil, Chile and Uruguay were also accompanied in Slovenia by the European Commission, which through the Taiex program promotes closer international cooperation between EU member states and Latin America in key digital areas.
The European Union and many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean agree that an inclusive digital transformation is the key to sustainable development and social cohesion. Through exchanges of good practices and various initiatives, the EU-Latin America and Caribbean (EU-LAC) Digital Alliance brings together the countries of both regions to work more closely together in key areas relevant to the development of a human-centered digital transformation. In order to realize the ambitions of the Global Gateway in Latin America and the Caribbean, it is important to establish and strengthen reliable and sustainable connections with EU partner countries.
On the first day, we welcomed experts from the LAC countries at the Ministry of Digital Transformation, where we presented them with the National Program for the Promotion of the Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence and the implementation of the EU Act on Artificial Intelligence in the Republic of Slovenia. Head of the ICT horizontal network at the Chamber of Commerce of Slovenia, Mrs. Andreja Lampe, presented the ecosystem for supporting companies in Slovenia in the field of artificial intelligence. In the discussion, possibilities for further cooperation were identified, such as language technologies, knowledge transfer in the implementation of regulations, and management of activities and management with artificial intelligence in smaller countries.
The study visit continued at the Faculty of Computer Science and Informatics of the University of Ljubljana, where the guests were welcomed by the dean prof. dr. Mojca Ciglari? and Prof. dr. Damjan Vavpoti?, vice dean for international activities with a general presentation of the faculty and its study programs. This was followed by a visit and presentation of some of their laboratories: a bioinformatics laboratory, an artificial intelligence laboratory, a cognitive modeling laboratory and an algorithmic laboratory. Discussions took place mainly regarding the possibilities and requirements for student exchange, the accessibility of completed research, cooperation with industry, the use of high-performance computing (HPC) and interest in published articles by researchers at the faculty.
In the afternoon, the delegation visited the Jožef Stefan Institute, where they were welcomed by dr. Marko Grobelnik, researcher in the field of artificial intelligence and digital champion of Slovenia at the European Commission. He presented to the guests the anatomy of the very definition of artificial intelligence, which was first adopted within the OECD. In the following, the work of the Department of Knowledge Technologies at IJS was also presented in more detail. M.Sc. Mitja Jermol, head of the Center for Knowledge Transfer, eventually postponed the work of IRCAI, the International Research Center for Artificial Intelligence, which operates in Slovenia under the auspices of UNESCO.
At the end of the first day, the delegation was received at the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, where they were greeted by Mrs. Anita Stankovi? Pavli?, head of the sector for North and Latin America and the Caribbean. The greeting was followed by a short presentation of cooperation in the field of science by Ambassador Veronika Stabej, coordinator for science at the Ministry. They were also greeted by Mr. Alenka Jerak and Mrs. Irena Gril, authorized minister. The representatives of the ministry presented Slovenia's cooperation with the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean at the level of the EU-LAC digital alliance.
On the second day, the delegation visited Maribor. First, they stopped at the Institute of Information Sciences (IZUM), where they were received and greeted by the director dr. Aleš Bošnjak, who briefly presented the operation and mission of the institute. After the director, the delegation was greeted by Ambassador Tadej Rupel from the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, who briefly outlined the activities of Slovenia in the international field in connection with artificial intelligence and cyber security. Greetings were followed by a presentation of the VEGA supercomputer by Mr. Aleš Zemljak and Dr. Dejan Valha. They presented the creation and operation of the supercomputer and touched on the plans for the construction of a new supercomputer and data center near the hydroelectric plant on the Drava River.
The visit to Vega was followed by a visit to the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science of the University of Maribor, where the dean of the faculty, prof. dr. Gorazd Štumberger. Experts from Latin America are prof. dr. Vili Podgorelec, head of the Intelligent Systems Laboratory, presented artificial intelligence solutions that are human-centered and enable better services for users. He was followed by Prof. dr. Domen Mongus, Head of the Laboratory for Geospatial Modeling, Multimedia and Artificial Intelligence, who presented Geospatial Intelligence and its application for a green digital transition.
The Latin American delegation thanked for the excellent organization of the visit and the comprehensive presentation of Slovenia's activities and achievements in the field of artificial intelligence. We agreed to strengthen cooperation in specific areas and with all stakeholders of the digital ecosystem – the government, the economy and scientific research institutions.
