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I2EN visited Slovenia to strengthen its collaboration with the University of Maribor. The aim is to support the university in the evaluation and certification of a new course in Nuclear Engineering, offered by the Faculty of Energy Technologies, thanks to the I2EN label.
From March 10 to 12, 2025, I2EN visited Slovenia to meet colleagues from the Jožef Stefan Institute in Ljubljana, the Faculty of Energy Technologies and the University of Maribor. These meetings follow on from the cooperation agreements signed with I2EN in September 2024 in Ljubljana, with the aim of supporting joint research and curriculum evaluation to contribute to the European goals of climate neutrality and energy independence by 2050.
The agreement between I2EN and the University of Maribor specifically targets the development of nuclear engineering curricula. I2EN will provide support for the evaluation and international accreditation of new programs at the Faculty of Energy Technologies. The partnership also provides for the promotion of academic exchanges, the submission of joint European projects and the facilitation of professional internships in France.
The discussions enabled progress to be made on several topics. The University of Maribor presented the preliminary structure of the Nuclear Engineering training program, which will start with a Bachelor’s degree. The launch of the Bachelor’s degree, together with a Master’s, is scheduled for September 2026. The curriculum will be prepared in close collaboration with I2EN experts, with the aim of obtaining Label I2EN certification. The possibility of twinning with an equivalent course in France, leading to a double degree, will also be examined.
We also took advantage of our visit to explore Slovenia’s only nuclear power plant, located in Krško. This plant supplies over 20% of Slovenia’s electricity needs and 16% of Croatia’s. The impeccable condition of all the facilities is impressive. Krško has been operating reliably for 42 years, in compliance with the latest and most stringent industrial safety standards. At the time of our visit, the reactor had been operating at 100% capacity (704 MWe) for 315 days, producing 5.3 TWh of CO2-free electricity, equivalent to 5 tonnes of CO2 avoided compared with coal.
"For Maribor, the creation of this new training program is of strategic importance. It contributes to the development of skills in Slovenia, which plans to triple its nuclear production by 2050, and supports the development of the east of the country. "
"The curriculum should make it possible to train dozens of nuclear engineers as early as 2027. And not just for Slovenia: this initiative could also attract students from Croatia, Serbia and Austria, transforming the region into a major nuclear training hub."
"For I2EN, this partnership with Maribor is an opportunity to demonstrate our ability to support our partners in setting up nuclear training courses based on the French model, a first for the labeling of a program in a foreign university. Over and above the benefits for I2EN, this academic collaboration offers France an opportunity to provide greater support for a European industry. It will promote European solidarity in terms of codes, standards, skills and technologies, create strategic partnerships with future European nuclear experts, invest in a pool of exchangeable skills, and share French know-how and technologies."