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Monday, 31 March 2025 UP FAMNIT Student group - Mentes Ethicae shared their goals at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Hristina Gelevska, a Conservation Biology student at UP FAMNIT, visited Professor Carolyn Stephens' Environmental Ethics lectures at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine last Friday, March 21, 2025. During her visit, she introduced their student ethics group, called Mentes Ethicae.  

Hristina explained the group's motivations and goals to Professor Stephens's students. Following her presentation, they engaged in several discussions and debates on various topics in Environmental Ethics. Hristina noted that the students showed a strong interest in their group and were eager to share their thoughts. 

After the presentation, they surveyed FAMNIT students to see their interest in a new elective Ethics course.  

"We are very pleased that so many students responded and expressed interest, and we will keep the survey available on our website, which should be fully finished and accessible online by the beginning of April," she summarized.  

Professor Carolyn Stephens is an environmental epidemiologist and ethics expert, holding positions at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, University College London, and, since 2024, the University of Primorska. Her research focuses on equity, environment, health, ethics, and human and environmental rights on a global scale. 

In November of last year, Professor Stephens also gave lectures at UP FAMNIT titled "Renewing Our Values Towards the Planet in the Anthropocene Era: Why We Need to Discuss Environmental, Conservation, and Animal Ethics More Than Ever Before." 

Survey > HERE

Monday, 31 March 2025 FTP – Faculty Tournament in Programming

FTP (Faculty Tournament in Programming) is a competition where students have the opportunity to test their programming skills in a fun way. Participants develop a program (Player) that plays a turn-based game on their behalf against other competitors. The goal is to create a program (Player) that responds best to the strategies of other competitors without access to their source code.

    

We invite all UP FAMNIT students to participate!

  • Start: The competition is already ongoing.
  • End: 1. 6. 2025  (the official results announcement is expected to take place one week after the competition)
  • Finals: TBA

The official website is https://tekmovanje.famnit.upr.si/

     
                                                               FTP competition - 2024

Monday, 31 March 2025 Be-Wooden podcast now in English

LIFE Be-WoodEN launches the English version of its Be-Wooden podcast series available on Spotify. It is authored by Federlegno Arredo, with the editorial coordination by Spazi Inclusi.

Click HERE to listen to all the episodes!

Through experts' insights, the series highlights the benefits and impact of sustainable timber construction on communities and the environment.

Podcast Episodes

  • The sustainability of timber construction – Dieter Lechner, Responsible Association of the Austrian Wood Industries.
  • The use of wood in the construction and regeneration of buildings and public spaces – Andrew Norton, Director of Renuable.
  • Aesthetic qualities and environmental health of wooden buildings – roberto crocetti, Structural Engineer, Professor (co-founder TBS Timber Bridge Specialists AB, and Adj. Professor at Kungliga Tekniska högskolan
  • Sequestered Carbon and Timber Construction – Alexander Salenikovich, Professor at the Faculty of Forestry, Geography and Geomatics - Université Laval (Québec, Canada)
  • Design versatility in timber construction – Arch. Ugo Terzi, Head of Assolegno di FederlegnoArredo
  • Timber construction and technological innovation – Patrice Godonou, Senior Structural Engineer, Director of Standardisation at @Swedish Wood
  • Community engagement and local bioeconomies in the timber supply chain – Giuseppe Caprolu, Specialist in Timber Structural Engineering at Ramboll
  • Waste reduction and impact minimization in timber construction – Clive Pinnington, Managing Director, European Panel Federation

We hope you can enjoy the LIFE BE-WoodEN podcast series!

https://www.upr.si/data/albums/preview/9-novo-logogdiup-nebahub2.jpg

The project Green, Digital & Inclusive University of Primorska (GDI UP) is co-financed by the Republic of Slovenia, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation and the European Union – NextGenerationEU. The project is implemented in accordance with the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) under the development area Smart, Sustainable and Inclusive Growth, component Strengthening competencies, in particular digital competencies and those required by the new professions and the green transition (C3 K5), for the investment measure Investment F. Implementation of pilot projects, the results of which will serve as a basis for the preparation of a roadmap for the reform of higher education for a green and resilient transition to a Society 5.0: project Pilot Projects for the Reform of Higher Education for a Green and Resilient Transition.   

Monday, 31 March 2025 CALL FOR ENROLMENT INTO MASTER'S AND DOCTORAL DEGREE STUDY PROGRAMMES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA IN THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2025/2026

On 27 March 2025 the University of Primorska published the Call for enrolment into master's and doctoral study programmes in the academic year 2025/2026. 

The first application period for all candidates for enrollment in UP master's and doctoral study programs begins on Tuesday, April 8, 2025.

The call and instructions for submitting applications are published HERE.

For additional information, you can contact Student Services.

Friday, 28 March 2025 ALUMNI WEEK UP 2025 / 14.–18. APRIL 2025

The Alumni UP Club's favourite week is upon us, Alumni UP Week, which will be from 14 to 18 April 2025 with the main event MeetUP, which will be on 17 April 2025 in the UP FAMNIT lobby (Galgoljaška 8, 6000 Koper), starting at 17.00, where awards and recognitions ceremony will take place.

You are invited to join us for the main event as well as short education and training, which are evaluated accorting to the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). The short education and training will take place from 27 March to 30 June 2025.

We look forward to meeting you during a week filled with knowledge. Join us!

PROGRAMME BY DAY:

MONDAY, 14. APRIL 2025:

 

Body composition measurement

Lecturer:  Assist. Špela Bužinel, mag. Ing. preh.

When? 14 April 2025, from 9.00 to 12.00

Where? UP FVZ, Polje 42

Language: slovene

Registration: until 10. 4. 2025, HERE

MORE

 

Optimization of priorities at the workplace (1 ECTS)

Lecturer:  Assoc. Prof. Dr. Tadej Praprotnik

When? 14 April 2025, from 16.00 to 18.00

Where? UP FHŠ - MAESTRAL 2 (ETAŽA 6)

Language: slovene

Registration: until 13. 4. 2025, HERE

MORE

TUESDAY, 15. APRIL 2025:

Developing successful startup brands (1 ECTS)

Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Mitja Ruzzier

When? 15 April 2025, from 12.00 to 13.30

Where? ZOOM

Language: slovene

Registration: until 14. 4. 2025, HERE

MORE

Media literacy (1 ECTS)

Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Sandra Bašić Hrvatin

When? 15 April 2025, from 16.00 to 18.30

Where? UP FHŠ, Seminar Room (Mezzanine 5, Library)

Language: slovene

Registration: until 14. 4. 2025, HERE

MORE

Comprehensive development of teaching staff (2 ECTS)

Lecturer: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dejan Hozjan

When? 15 April 2025, from 16.30 to 20.00

Where? zoom

Language: slovene

Registration: until 14. 4. 2025, HERE

MORE

WEDNESDAY, 16. APRIL 2025:

UPGRADE

When? 16 April 2025, from 11.00 to 17.00

Where? Muzejski trg, Koper

You are invited to the postgraduate study fair, UPgrade, on Wednesday, 16 April 2025, from 11.00 to 15.00 at Muzejski trg in Koper. The fair will host tutors, professors, postgraduate students, and staff from the student office and the career center, all available to provide information about 2nd and 3rd cycle study programs. Take this opportunity to have personal conversations with representatives of individual study programs and get firsthand information.

Follow the Facebook event and add it to your calendar.

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THURSDAY, 17. 4. 2025:

MEETUP

When? 17 April 2025, from 17.00 to 20.00

Where? UP Famnit (Glagoljaška 8, Koper)

Join us for the main event as well as short education nad training in the development of micro-credentials. Awards and recognitions, social gathering with a convival get-together with refreshments.

Registration: HERE

MORE

FRIDAY, 18. 4. 2025:

Large language models and semantic information lookup

Lecturer: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Branko Kavšek in Asist. Domen Vake

When? 18 April 2025, from 17.00 to 20.00

Where? UP FAMNIT, RLAB 5

Language: slovene

Registration: until 14. 4. 2025, HERE

MOREThe project is co-financed by the Republic of Slovenia, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation and the European Union – NextGenerationEU. The project is implemented in accordance with the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) under the development area Smart, Sustainable and Inclusive Growth, component Strengthening competencies, in particular digital competencies and those required by the new professions and the green transition (C3 K5), for the investment measure Investment F. Implementation of pilot projects, the results of which will serve as a basis for the preparation of a roadmap for the reform of higher education for a green and resilient transition to a Society 5.0: project Pilot Projects for the Reform of Higher Education for a Green and Resilient Transition.

Friday, 28 March 2025 CALL FOR ENROLMENT INTO MASTER AND DOCTORAL DEGREE STUDY PROGRAMMES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA IN THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2025/2026

On 27 March 2025, the University of Primorska announces the Call for enrolment into master and doctoral study programmes in the academic year 2025/2026.

                                       

In the framework of the Call for Enrolment into master study programmes, the University of Primorska announces the following free enrolment places for 34 study programmes 1.094 enrolment places for citizens of the Republic of Slovenia and EU citizens, of which 959 are for full-time study and 135 for part-time study,

  • 56 enrolment places for Slovenians without Slovenian citizenship,
  • 136 enrolment places for citizens of Western Balkans countries, with which the Republic of Slovenia has a bilateral agreement in the field of education (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, Serbia, North Macedonia) 
  • 61 enrolment places for foreign citizens of non EU countries.
  • For the 1st year of study, there are also 62 enrolment places for candidates for parallel studies.

Master's Study Programmes at UP FAMNIT

In the framework of the Call for Enrolment into doctoral study programmes, the University of Primorska announces 171 free enrolment places for 16 study programmes.

UP FAMNIT offers following Doctoral study programmes:

The first-round application period for all candidates opens on Tuesday, 8 April 2025.  The call for enrolment is published on:

Friday, 28 March 2025 The doctoral thesis defence of Meta Lavrič

Meta Lavrič, student of the doctoral study programe Suicidology and Mental Health (in Slovene) at UP FAMNIT will defend her doctoral thesis Doživljanje pripovedovanja zgodb: razvoj in deljenje pisanih zgodb kot intervencija za krepitev duševnega zdravja pri vratarjih sistema (Experiencing Storytelling: Developing and Sharing Written Stories as an Intervention to Strengthen Mental Health in Gatekeepers), under the mentorship of Prof. Vita Poštuvan, PhD.

The defence will take place on Tuesday, 8 April 2025 at 11:30 in the Conference Room UP FAMNIT (Glagoljaška 8, ground floor).

The doctoral disertation is available in the University Library.

You are kindly invited!

Thursday, 27 March 2025 UP FAMNIT researchers win Best Paper Award at ACM IUI 2025 for innovative vocabulary learning study

Researchers from UP FAMNIT have received the Best Paper Award at the 30th Annual ACM Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces (ACM IUI 2025), held from March 24 to 27 in Cagliari, Italy. This prestigious award recognizes groundbreaking research in the field of intelligent user interfaces, highlighting work that is expected to significantly influence the future of computing.

ACM IUI conference serves as a premier platform where experts from artificial intelligence and human-computer interaction converge to discuss advancements at their intersection. The conference is renowned for its rigorous selection process and is classified as an A-rank conference by the International Conference Ranking Exercise (ICORE), placing it among the top 15% of 784 evaluated venues.

About the award-winning paper "Text-to-Image Generation for Vocabulary Learning Using the Keyword Method"

The ‘keyword method’ is an effective technique for learning vocabulary of a foreign language. It involves creating a memorable visual link between what a word means and what its pronunciation in a foreign language sounds like in the learner’s native language. However, these memorable visual links remain implicit in the people’s mind and are not easy to remember for a large number of words. To enhance the memorisation and recall of the vocabulary, researchers developed an application that combines the keyword method with text-to-image generators to externalise the memorable visual links into visuals. These visuals represent additional stimuli during the memorisation process. To explore the effectiveness of this approach researchers first run a pilot study to investigate how difficult it is to externalise the descriptions of mental visualisations of memorable links, by asking participants to write them down. These descriptions were used as prompts for text-to-image generator (DALL-E 2) to convert them into images and participants were asked to select their favourites. Next, different text-to-image generators (DALL-E 2, Midjourney, Stable and Latent Diffusion) were compared to evaluate the perceived quality of the generated images by each. Despite heterogeneous results, participants mostly preferred images generated by DALL-E 2, which was used also for the final study. In this study, researchers investigated whether providing such images enhances the retention of vocabulary being learned, compared to the keyword method alone. The results indicate that people did not encounter difficulties describing their visualisations of memorable links and that providing corresponding images significantly increases memory retention.

The paper was co-authored by 12 researchers, including Assist. Prof. Nuwan T. Attygalle, Assoc. Prof. Matjaž Kljun, Assoc. Prof. Klen Čopič Pucihar and Asist. Prof. Maheshya Weerasinghe from UP FAMNIT. The research was conducted in collaboration with researchers from the University of Luxembourg, CSIRO Data61 (data and digital specialist arm of Australia's national science agency), Coburg University of Applied Sciences, the University of St Andrews and the Nara Institute of Science and Technology.

Thursday, 27 March 2025 Invitation: short training courses as part of the GDI UP project

The Alumni Club of the University of Primorska is launching short education and training, which will be offered within the framework of the Green, Digital and Inclusive University of Primorska (GDI UP) project and and are evaluated accorting to the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). The short education and training will take place from 27 March to 30 June 2025.

All events will be held in Slovene language.

Assoc. Prof. Branko Kavšek and Asist. Domen Vake from UP FAMNIT will implement four workshops.

Large language models and semantic information lookup (1 ECTS)
When? 18 April 2025, from 17:00 to 20:00
Where? UP FAMNIT, RLAB 5
Language: Slovene
Registration: until 14. 4. 2025, HERE
MORE

 

Introduction to SEO optmization for Google indexing (1 ECTS)
When? 25 April 2025, from 17:00 to 20:00
Where? UP FAMNIT, RLAB5
Language: Slovene
Registration: until 24. 4. 2025, HERE
MORE

 

Surveying and interpretation of results using language models (1 ECTS)
When? 30 April 2025, from 17:00 to 20:00
Where? UP FAMNIT, RLAB3
Language: Slovene
Registration: until 29. 4. 2025, HERE
MORE

 

Excel and the basics of statistics for business decision making (1 ECTS)
When?  7 May 2025, from 17:00 to 20:00
Where? UP FAMNIT, RLAB 3
Language: Slovene
Registration: until 5. 5. 2025, HERE
MORE

 

List of all the events is available here.

Wednesday, 26 March 2025 6 T4EU Teaching Qualification Certificate Nominees at UP

The T4EU Teaching Qualification Certificate aims to recognise academic staff members across the Alliance formally. Nominees were announced, recognizing outstanding teaching and pedagogical innovation across the Transform4Europe Alliance. These exceptional academic staff members have demonstrated a commitment to excellence, inclusivity, and international collaboration, embodying the core values of T4EU.

Nominees were selected based on criteria such as recent teaching experience, professional development engagement, innovative teaching practices, positive student feedback, compliance with T4EU values, teaching excellence, mentorship, collaboration in educational activities, and alignment with institutional priorities

At UP we now have six Teaching Qualification Certificate Nominees: Dr. Ana Zalokar (UP FAMNIT), Dr. Nives Zudič Antonič (UP FHŠ), Dr. Sabina Ličen (UP FVZ), Dr. Aleksandra Brezovec (UP FTŠ Turistica), Dr. Igor Rižnar (UP FM), Dr. Karmen Drljić (UP PEF).

Congratulations to all nominees, and thank you for bearing excellence in the frame of UP and T4EU!

Friday, 21 March 2025 22nd UP Solemn Academy

The University of Primorska celebrates its anniversary every year in the week around March 17, as it was entered in the court register on March 17, 2003. Thus, the UP Week is held every year, and within the framework of this week there is always a Solemn Academy, at which the UP recognizes all those who havecontributed to the reputation, development and success of the University through their work or activities.

The participants were first addressed by the Rector of the University of Primorska, Prof. Dr. Klavdija Kutnar, who emphasized that:

"The University of Primorska is becoming an increasingly international, intercultural and multilingual community. As a result, at the beginning of 2025, the University of Primorska adopted the Strategy for the Use of the Slovene Language at the University of Primorska for the period 2025-2030, which will further strengthen the development of Slovene as a scientific and professional language, as well as the offer of Slovene as a foreign language courses for all students and employees and their family members. In pursuing these objectives, as well as in fulfilling its commitments to the Italian national community, the resources that the University will be able to obtain in accordance with the provisions on the nationally important tasks set out in the new draft Law on Higher Education, which we hope will be adopted as soon as possible, will certainly be of great help. We will continue to steer our march upwards, UP is already in our name, as we like to remind ourselves, and climb towards the stars that we hope will continue to favour us."

Lana Erjavec, President of the UP Student Council, addressed a special greeting to the students:"

"At this point, I would like to sincerely thank all students who invest their free time and energy into our community. Your contribution is of immeasurable importance, as it is your commitment that drives progress and well-being, ensuring opportunities for long-term development. Without students, a university cannot function. However, the contribution of university staff is equally crucial. They are the ones who provide the foundation and stability and serve as role models. We are grateful to have strong support from both academic and professional staff at the University of Primorska. They recognize our concerns and dilemmas, listen to us, offer guidance, and steer us in the right direction. Over the past year, students have encountered several changes, the most exciting of which was the launch of 24-hour operations at the UP University Library and the introduction of laptop lending services. We trust that student needs will continue to be considered and that together, we will continue to create a welcoming and supportive environment for all."

The solemn speech was given by Dr. Diego de Leo - Head of the Slovenian Center for Suicide Research at UP IAM, who in 2023 hosted one of the most important events in this field, the Congress of the World Alliance for Suicide Prevention (IASP), and this year also received the Research Excellence Award, as his work in the field of suiciology represents an outstanding contribution to the profession both in Slovenia and worldwide on an international level.

The UP prizes for 2024 were awarded:

Recipients of the UP FAMNIT AND UP IAM awards for 2024

2024 Gold medal of the University of Primorska - Prof. Marko Tkalčič, UP FAMNIT and UP IAM

On the proposal of UP FAMNIT and UP IAM, the 2024 Gold Medal of the University of Primorska is awarded to Prof. Marko Tkalčič for his outstanding contribution to the university’s development and visibility, particularly in pioneering new approaches to the advancement of intelligent systems.

                               

Dr. Marko Tkalčič completed his PhD studies at the University of Ljubljana in 2011 and has worked at UP since 2019. His research in user modelling and recommender systems, including psychological models, is internationally recognised and paves the way for advancements in intelligent systems. He has been actively involved in the organisation and management of prestigious international conferences such as UMAP, RecSys and IUI, raising the profile of these research communities. He has made significant contributions to the advancement of academic publishing as a co-author of two key books for researchers, a practitioner in the field and a member of the editorial board of the Springer journal UMUAI. As coordinator of the Master’s programme in Data Science at UP FAMNIT and Chair of the Quality Assurance Committee for Doctoral Studies, he has contributed to the development and high standards of education at the university. His work is an example of excellence for the wider academic community. Known for his ability to communicate complex ideas with clarity, he is a key advocate for integrating psychological insights into recommender systems.

VIDEO

2024 University of Primorska Scientific Excellence Award - Prof. Diego de Leo, UP FAMNIT and UP IAM

On the proposal of UP FAMNIT and UP IAM, the 2024 UP Scientific Excellence Award is presented to Prof. Diego de Leo for his outstanding research in suicidology, his contribution to the destigmatization of suicide and the development of global guidelines for its prevention.

                                       

Prof. Diego De Leo, MD, PhD, DSc, FRANZCP, AO, is a world-renowned expert in suicidal behaviour. He holds a degree from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Padua, a PhD from Leiden University, and has dedicated his research to suicidality, cultural influences on suicide, older populations, international trends and national prevention programmes. His bibliography comprises more than 900 works, including 500 peer-reviewed articles, published in the most prestigious journals in psychiatry, medicine and psychology. His h-index in the Scopus database reaches a high value of 90. He is a key player in the promotion of World Suicide Prevention Day and co-founder of the International Academy of Suicide Research. He is the Head and co-founder of the Slovenian Centre for Suicide Research (UP IAM), which focuses on suicide research, suicide prevention interventions and bereavement support. He has received numerous honours, including a knighthood from the Queen of England. His research has contributed to the destigmatization of suicide and the development of global guidelines for the prevention of suicidal behaviour, enhancing the visibility of the University of Primorska and increasing public awareness.

 2024 Srečko Kosovel Award for University of Primorska Students - Andrej Milisavljević, UP FAMNIT

On the proposal of UP FAMNIT, the 2024 Srečko Kosovel Award for UP Students goes to Andrej Milisavljević for his final project paper In silico analysis of the amino acid composition of binding sites on viral proteins under supervisor Assoc. Prof. Marko Jukić and co-supervisor Assoc. Prof. Jure Pražnikar.

                               

Andrej Milisavljević has graduated from the Bioinformatics Bachelor’s programme at UP FAMNIT. His final project paper focused on analysing the binding sites of viral proteins and comparing them with human proteins to better understand the molecular interactions, protein structure and function – an essential foundation for developing new therapeutic agents. He used both the PDB database and the ProBiS-Dock database, developed at UP, which contains structural protein models and predicted binding regions. Notably, while working on his thesis, he developed, validated and applied his own bioinformatics tools and scripts. His contributions led to the development of an automated and parallelised methodology, allowing for the rapid processing of large protein datasets. His final project paper highlights the gaps in the understanding of binding site structure and proposes improvements in identifying binding sites in novel protein systems with unknown functions. This work paves the way for further research and integration into the broader efforts of the UP laboratory. Exceeding the initial objectives of his final project paper, he is already preparing a scientific paper and continuing his research within his supervisor’s group.

2024 Srečko Kosovel Award for University of Primorska Students - Niki Hrovatin, UP FAMNIT and UP IAM

On the proposal of UP FAMNIT and UP IAM, the 2024 Srečko Kosovel Award for UP Students goes to Dr. Niki Hrovatin for his PhD thesis Enabling decentralized privacy preserving data processing in sensor networks under supervisor Assoc. Prof. Jernej Vičič and co-supervisor Prof. Michael Mrissa.

                                       

Dr. Niki Hrovatin has completed his PhD in Computer Science at UP FAMNIT. His dissertation presents five contributions to privacy preserving data processing in distributed networks. The innovations explored and presented together form a secure and efficient foundation for autonomous sensor networks. His PhD thesis is structured as a series of scientific papers, while all the presented methods have been implemented in sensor networks that are regularly used and deployed in Koper, across Slovenia and in other countries. The quality and impact of these five papers quantitatively exceed the minimum requirements for a dissertation. Dr. Hrovatin is the first author of all the papers, with the most prominent one published in an A’’ category journal and three others appearing in SCI-listed journals. In addition to his PhD work, he remains highly active in research, with numerous publications in top international journals. Over the past three years, he has published nine original scientific articles, eight of which in SCI-listed journals. Dr. Niki Hrovatin is now continuing his successful research (and teaching) career at UP FAMNIT, UP IAM and InnoRennew CoE.

 2024 University of Primorska Prize for University of Primorska Students - Gabriela Laznik Zalaznik, UP FAMNIT

On the proposal of UP FAMNIT, the 2024 UP Prize for UP Students is awarded to Gabriela Laznik Zalaznik for her dedication and significant contribution to the student community.

                                 

Gabriela Laznik Zalaznik, a student in the Psychology programme at UP FAMNIT, has been a member of the UP FAMNIT Student Council since autumn 2021. Serving as its President during the 2023/2024 academic year, she successfully led the organisation of educational and social events, promoted inter-faculty cooperation and represented students at various levels. In the previous academic year, she also took on the role of event manager for the Biopsychology Students Association, which serves students of Biopsychology, Psychology and other UP study programmes. In the current academic year, she is the President of the Association. She has made a significant contribution to raising awareness of biopsychology through her work with the Association and has volunteered for initiatives such as Brain Awareness Week and the Weekend of Holistic Mental Health Care, reflecting her broader social engagement and awareness of the importance of mental health – her professional focus within her chosen field of study. Her involvement in faculty and university committees is always geared towards improving student conditions and building a better community. Her dedication, leadership, organizational skills and clear vision make her an invaluable asset to the university community.

VIDEO

Thursday, 20 March 2025 ONI 2.0 brings employees together also in 2025

Celebrating UP's 20th anniversary on Wednesday, employees wondered how we can be an even better version of ourselves, and UP 2.0 - the desire to progress - makes sense every year, so the name has been kept.

Wednesdays are thus dedicated to events for employees, who this year were also able to attend two events related to anniversaries: a round table and the handover of archival material on the founding of the university to the Koper Regional Archives, and an exhibition on space tourism, which was opened with a lecture in the Armeria Hall on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of UP FTŠ Turistica.

Already on Tuesday, there was a lecture, primarily aimed at researchers, but also useful for students and other employees - Dr. Ana Slavec (UP FAMNIT, InnoRenew CoE) gave an online lecture with some practical tips on "How to find and use research data?".

For those who wanted to relax and have some peace and quiet, the UP Book Club organised a popular silent reading party at the UP University Library (UP UK) - for the first time it was held in the library, so the staff could also get to know the facilities, which are the only ones in Slovenia that are accessible 24/7 for library members. The introduction to the culturally coloured day was the Tuesday concert of the UP PEF Girls' and Boys' Choir under the direction of senior lecturer Andrea Štucin Cergolj and assistant professor Dr. Barbara Kopačin, which took place in the Armerija Hall. 

The employees acquired knowledge and skills at three workshops: at the workshop "How to Communicate Effectively?", Dr Vesna Jug (UP FAMNIT) touched upon communication filters and barriers, various communication skills with both practical demonstrations and exercises. At the Rectorate of UP, the "Interactive workshop for editors of the upr.si website (and other websites with this editor) - master CMS Ngn" took place, where Karin Marinič (Rectorate, SZK), digital content editor, demonstrated practical solutions for editing the site. The third workshop "5 X 5 language tips" (Dr Vladka Tucovič Sturman, UP FHŠ, UP PEF) took place at UP FHŠ, where the most common language slip-ups and their solutions were presented. The workshop activities will continue on Thursday for the student tutors, when they will have the second part of the Social Skills Training, conducted by mag. Urša Rozman (UP PEF).

UP FVZ ensured a healthy spirit with a hike along the green paths of Isola - the participants set off from the entrance of the UP FVZ building next to the hospital on an easy two-hour route.

At UP FM, Prof. Dr. Štefan Bojnec (UP FM) presented the important topic "Inclusive University and the Role of Gender" - UP emphasises the importance of an inclusive university, which in a world of diversity and trade-offs between globalisation and de-globalisation represents an element of an open university. The presentation gave different perspectives on diversity and providing an enabling environment of possibilities and opportunities for an inclusive university and gender equality.

In addition, two lectures were held in the framework of traditional events - the book Slovenian Migrations in Socialism was presented in the framework of the Historical Spring at UP FHŠ (Dr. Marina Lukšič Hacin, Dr. Marijanca Ajša Vižintin, Dr. Damir Josipovič, Dr. Aleksej Kalc), and in the framework of  Famnit's trips into the mathematical universe, Dr. Štefko Miklavič presented Some Classical Results in Graph Theory.

The day ended with a protocol event - the inauguration of the new Dean of UP PEF, Dr. Tomaž Grušovnik, who was handed over the deanship by the current Dean, Dr. Mara Cotič.

                                                                The workshop "How to Communicate Effectively?"

Tuesday, 18 March 2025 Seveteen full professors inaugurated at UP

On Tuesday, 18 March 2025, a solemn inauguration of full professors of the University of Primorska took place in the hall of the Armeria Palace in Koper. Vice-rector prof. dr. Štefko Miklavič, with the Deans of UP, handed over the decisions on the election to the title of seventeen new full professors of the University of Primorska.

    

dr. Janez Konc, full professor in the field of »Bioinformatics« 

The core scientific research focus of Dr. Janez Konc lies in bioinformatics and pharmacy, specifically in the development of new ProBiS web tools for innovative drug design and discovery, which serve as powerful tools for computer-aided drug design. Through his long-term scientific and professional work in this field, he has earned a reputation among leading experts and scientists worldwide, as evidenced by his extensive involvement in both domestic and international projects and the high citation rate of his scientific works. Dr. Janez Konc has successfully applied these newly developed approaches in industrial projects in collaboration with the pharmaceutical company Lek d.d. in the development of new biopharmaceuticals for cancer treatment.  > JUSTIFICATION

prof. dr. Vita Poštuvan, full professor in the field of »Psychology« 

She teaches at various faculties and coordinates the doctoral programme in Suicidology and Mental Health at UP FAMNIT. She has supervised more than 70 students, mainly master students in psychology, co-supervised one PhD student in suicidology and mental health and two PhD students in medicine and nursing. At the University of Primorska, she heads the Commission of the University of Primorska for Ethics in Human Subjects Research and is a member of other committees. She regularly gives lectures at prestigious institutions and conferences in Slovenia and abroad. She is a member of the Executive Committee of the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP), convenor of the Board of Ethics of the European Federation of Psychological Associations (EFPA) and has worked internationally in Austria, Japan, China and India. In September 2023, she co-hosted the IASP World Congress in Slovenia with Prof. De Leo and has been organising the international Triple I conference for over fifteen years. > JUSTIFICATION

dr. Marko Tkalčič, full professor in the field of »Computer science and informatics«

Marko Tkalčič has published extensively in top-tier journals and conferences, including UMUAI, Information Processing & Management, and IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing. He has been an invited speaker at institutions such as Vienna University of Technology, Durham University and University of Bergen. Actively involved in academic service, he has chaired the oldest international conference for researchers and practitioners working on various kinds of user-adaptive computer systems ACM UMAP in 2021, served on editorial boards, and reviewed for leading journals and funding agencies. He teaches adaptive systems and computational social science and supervises PhD students in AI and personalized systems. > JUSTIFICATION

Monday, 17 March 2025 The fourth video, "Famnits' Excursion into the Mathematical Universe," is now available

The fourth lecture in the series titled "Rumours, Epidemics and Economic Crises: Infection Processes in Networks"; was presented by Dr. Miklós Krész from UP FAMNIT, UP IAM, and InnoRenew CoE, in Lecture Hall 3 at UP FAMNIT and via Zoom.

           

About the lecture:

What are the commonalities between the economic crisis of 2008, the COVID-19 pandemic, and social media campaigns in recent political elections? Why were the dynamics of bankruptcies, epidemic outbreaks, and the spread of misinformation so unexpected? What are the similarities and differences between these processes and how can mathematical models describe them? What specific problems arise in controlling the spread of these types of outbreaks and what mathematical methods can be used to address them? In this lecture, the lecturer took us on a journey through the methodology of computational network analysis to answer the above questions and highlight the main challenges.     

About lecturer:

Miklós Krész received his PhD in Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of Szeged, Hungary, in 2005. His main research interests include industrially motivated optimization methods, data driven industrial solutions and the integration of operations research and data science methodologies. He focuses on both fundamental and applied research in these areas. Currently, he is a Professor of Computer Science at UP FAMNIT and UP IAM, and he is the Head of the Information Processing Research Department at the InnoRenew CoE interdisciplinary research center. 

Monday, 17 March 2025 UP published the call for young researchers, generation 2025

UP has published a call for young researchers who will train for the profession of researcher and carry out doctoral studies at UP in the next four years. In 2025, three vacancies are announced under the following mentors, UP faculties/institute and research fields:

  • Prof. Bojan Kuzma, PhD, UP IAM and UP FAMNIT (Mathematics),
  • Prof. Ademir Hujdurović, PhD, UP IAM and UP FAMNIT (Mathematics),
  • Assist. Prof. Žiga Kozinc, PhD, UP FVZ (Healthcare and Medicine).

Candidates who have completed a second-level study program in the last four years and have an average grade in all exams and coursework including the grade of the Master's thesis of at least 8.00, can apply for the call until June 16, 2025.   

One young researcher will be selected for each mentor. UP will enter into a full-time, fixed-term employment contract with the selected young researchers.

    

Link to the Call: https://www.upr.si/en/about-the-university/open-calls--tenders/call-for-employment/call-for-young-researchers-at-the-university-of-primorska-in-2025

Friday, 14 March 2025 The international mathematics competition Náboj gathered over 150 high school students from all over Slovenia

On today's International Day of Mathematics and Pi Day, March 14, 2025, we at the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Information Technology at the University of Primorska celebrated with the international math competition Náboj.  

This year, the competition was held for the first time in Slovenia and brought together 150 students from across the country. They participated in a two-hour challenge designed to test their mathematical knowledge. 

   

In addition to fostering imagination and logical thinking, the event emphasized the importance of collaboration and team-building among peers, as highlighted by Assist. Prof. Dr. Ana Zalokar, the organizer and coordinator of the event. 

"Thirty-two teams from across Slovenia participated in the competition, and we consider it a great success. Especially considering it was our first time organising this event in Slovenia and we were uncertain about what to expect. We were very pleased with the turnout; although we had announced 15 spots, 16 teams applied in each category. Our primary goal was to create a competition that was dynamic and team-oriented. The event was indeed dynamic, as teams worked on solving problems and then presented their solutions to evaluators for verification. If their solution was correct, they received a new task; if not, they returned to attempt solving the task again. This setup ensured plenty of action throughout the competition," she explained.

She also announced that the competition will be held again next year. "Based on the initial feedback, we can confidently state that the first edition was a success, and we have already set the date for next year: March 13, 2025," she added. 

During the opening welcome, the competition tasks were presented to the students. The competition occurred in two categories: Junior (1st and 2nd years) and Senior (3rd and 4th years).

In the end, the winning teams were announced.

In the Junior Slovenia category, Gymnasium Bežigrad achieved first place, securing an impressive eighth position internationally out of 785 teams. Gymnasium Celje took second place, while Gymnasium Novo Mesto D claimed third in the same category. 

   
                                              Junior Slovenia category, Gymnasium Bežigrad

In the Senior Slovenia category, Gymnasium Bežigrad secured first place once again, achieving an impressive 35th position at the international level out of 743 teams. The second place went to Gymnasium Koper B, while Gymnasium Nova Gorica claimed third place.

 
                                                Senior Slovenia category, Gymnasium Bežigrad

The winning teams were awarded certificates and a cash prize of €500.  

Since 2005, the Náboj math competition has been held simultaneously across several countries. This format provides students with a unique opportunity to compare their skills and knowledge with peers from different nations. While results are primarily evaluated at the local level, the international comparisons add an extra layer of motivation and competitiveness. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all the teams and wish them continued success in the future! 

We sincerely congratulate all the teams and wish them much success in the future!

More about the competition> HERE

Publicly announced results: Junior category and Senior category.

Thursday, 13 March 2025 Visit from young computer science enthusiasts

Today, we hosted 38 students from the Computer Technician program at the Šolski center Krško-Sevnica. We prepared a program for them in Koper and Piran.

In Koper, students attended a workshop and presentation of the undergraduate study programme Computer Science. At the workshop 'Full Body Motion Capture', they learned the basics of capturing full-body motion using advanced technology. They learned how to use motion capture systems to animate characters in films, video games and virtual reality. Through practical exercises, they tested various motion capture techniques and gained insight into post-production and the use of data in digital environments. UP FAMNIT students, who are members of the Google Developers Groups, also participated in the presentation of the study programme Computer Science.

In Piran, the students visited the Piran Aquarium through a guided tour in two groups.

Wednesday, 12 March 2025 UP WEEK 2025

 Monday, 17 March 2025    

12.00, Armeria Hall of the University of Primorska, Koper
PROMOTION OF NEW DOCTORS OF SCIENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA
Promotion of new Doctors of Science at the University of Primorska.

 Tuesday, 18 March 2025   

12.00, Armeria Hall of the University of Primorska, Koper
INAUGURATION OF FULL PROFESSORS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA
Inauguration ceremony of full professors of the University of Primorska.

Wednesday, 19 March 2025   

12.00 – 15.00, UP faculties and units
ONI 2.0 - EVENTS FOR UP EMPLOYEES and STUDENTS
All employees are cordially invited to participate in the activities listed below between 12:00 and 15:00 for their professional development, health or knowledge (check the programme below).

Thursday, 20 March 2025    

17.00 – 18.30, St. Francis Hall, Koper
22nd ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PRIMORSKA
Solemn Academy with awards and recognitions of the University of Primorska.

 ONI 2.0 - EVENTS FOR UP EMPLOYEES & STUDENTS - 19 March 2025 

>>>APPLICATION<<< 

(the registration form is the same for all events. We recommend that you first check the list of activities and then fill in the registration form - mark the activities in which you will participate)

 CULTURAL - SOCIAL   

  • EVENT FOR THE HANDOVER OF THE ARCHIVE AND PRESENTATION OF THE BOOK SCRIPTA MANENT IN THE REGIONAL ARCHIVE OF KOPER [the main event of the day]

11.00-12.00, Koper Regional Archives (Kapodistriasov trg 1, Koper) 

The welcome will be followed by a round table discussion with the following speakers: Prof. Dr. Lucija Čok, editor of the book; Prof. Dr. Štefko Miklavič, Vice-Rector of the UP; Alja Polanec, UP PEF student (one of the founding members of the UP); followed by the ceremonial handover of the material. Guests will get a free copy of the book.

 

  • A JOURNEY BEYOND THE HORIZONS: EARTH AND SPACE (UP FTŠ Turistica) [exhibition opening with a lecture]

13.00-14.00, UP Armeria Hall (Titov trg 4)13.00-14.00, UP Armeria Hall (Titov trg 4)

Space has always captured the human imagination and inspired explorers, scientists and travellers. This year, on the occasion of our 30th anniversary, we go one step further and invite you to a photo exhibition in which we raise questions about tourism of the future, space exploration and a sustainable approach to the development of space tourism. In collaboration with the international college network T4EU, we have invited national and international photographers to show through their lens how far the boundaries of human curiosity reach - What will tourism look like in the future? Will space really become a new travel destination? At the opening of the exhibition, we will explore together how tourism and space intertwine their stories. The keynote speaker will be Mr. Matevž Frangež, State Secretary at the Ministry of Regional Development and Tourism. Admission is free. You are cordially invited! More

 

  • SILENT READING IN THE LIBRARY (UP Book Club)

12.00, University Library (UP UK), Room 2

In the crazy rhythm of life, the noise around us and the search for corners for at least a moment of silence, we invite you to an hour of silence in the UP Book Club. Join us for an hour of silent reading where no distracting noises are allowed. Bring your own reading material or borrow it from us on the way to the reading room. We will provide you with an hour of peace and quiet.

 WORKSHOP   

  • HOW TO COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY (UP FAMNIT)

12.00-12.45, UP FAMNIT, large lecture hall 3 (Glagoljaška 8, Koper, 2nd floor of the building)

With Dr. Vesna Jug we will discuss communication filters and barriers, different communication skills (positions in communication, forms of communication, active listening, checking understanding, asking questions and strong questions), assertiveness. The topics will be linked to practical demonstrations and exercises.

 

  • INTERACTIVE WORKSHOP FOR UPR.SI WEBSITE ADMINISTRATORS- Master CMS Ngn

13.30-14.30, lecture room B2 - 2nd floor (Square Brolo 12, Koper)

Karin Marinič, UP Digital Content Editor, has prepared an interactive workshop for all editors of web content (categories) on upr.si. In a transparent and quick way, you will refresh your knowledge of all the functionalities of the content management system (CMS Ngn).

 

  • 5 X 5 LANGUAGE TIPS - for the third time (UP FHŠ, UP PEF)

13.30-15.00, Maestral Lecture Room 1 (UP FHŠ)

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vladka Tucovič Sturman will lead a workshop in which she will practically present the most frequently observed linguistic errors that need to be corrected.

 LECTURES    

INCLUSIVE UNIVERSITY AND THE ROLE OF GENDER (Prof. dr. Štefan Bojnec)

13.30-14.30, UP FM, P11

UP underlines the importance of an inclusive university, which is an element of the open university in a world of diversity and contrasts between globalization and de-globalization. The presentation covers various aspects of diversity and providing an enabling environment with possibilities and opportunities for an inclusive college and gender equality.

SPORT   

  • WALK ON THE GREEN TRAILS OF IZOLA 

19 March 2025, 11.00-13.30, UP FVZ, Polje 42, Izola | Hike organized by UP FVZ, meeting point at 11.00 in front of the main entrance of UP FVZ (next to the Hospital of Izola). The route is easy, about 2.5 hours walking time.

 ACCOMPANYING PROGRAMME   

  • HOW TO FIND AND USE RESEARCH DATA? 

     (dr. Ana Slavec, an assistant professor at UP FAMNIT and a researcher at InnoRenew CoE, where she advises researchers on topics related to data collection, processing, analysis and reporting)

18 March, 9.00-10.30 | online - ZOOM > https://upr-si.zoom.us/j/94275348212

We call data the oil of the 21st century because it is the basis for innovation and progress. The search for existing data is an important part of the research process, not only in science but also in many other areas, from public administration to business. In this workshop, we will look at effective strategies for searching for research data in different sources and learn how to check its quality and use it wisely for different purposes. We will learn about the benefits of using secondary data compared to primary data collection and identify potential challenges and pitfalls. Finally, we will look at what we can do ourselves to make data more reusable. For researchers, students and anyone who wants to improve their skills in searching, analyzing and reusing data. Dr. Ana Slavec is an assistant professor at UP FAMNIT and a researcher at InnoRenew CoE, where she advises researchers on topics related to data collection, processing, analysis and reporting.

  • PERFORMANCE BY THE GIRLS' AND BOYS' CHOIRS OF THE UP PEF 

18 March 2025, 17.00-20.00, Armerija Hall | Performance by the UP PEF Girls' and Boys' Choir under the direction of Senior Lecturer Andrea Štucin Cergolj and Associate Professor Barbara Kopačin. The event offers a varied musical program performed by students.

    • A HISTORICAL LESSON - SLOVENIAN MIGRATIONS IN SOCIALISM, book presentation 

    19. 3. 2025, 13.00, Levant 1, UP FHŠ / Marina Lukšič Hacin, Marijanca Ajša Vižintin, Damir Josipovič, Aleksej Kalc | More

    • INAUGURATION OF THE NEW DEAN OF UP PEF 

    19 March 2025, 17.00-20.00, Armerija Hall | Ceremonial event to mark the start of the new term of office of the faculty leadership. APPLY HERE

    • WORKSHOP FOR STUDENT TUTORS: SOCIAL SKILLS TRAINING II.   

    20 March 2025, 9.30-12.00, INNOlab UP FM | The workshop will be led by Urša Rozman from the Department of Social Pedagogy at UP PEF.

    • WATER FOR HEALTH: from quality to taste (International Water Day event)

    24 March 2025, 16.00-18.30, Large Lecture Hall 6 UP FM | Water is an important part of everyday human life. To celebrate Water Day, we will explore the importance of water and its quality to our health, how and where we get it, how to understand how to read water analysis, and how we can improve its quality ourselves by maintaining our household plumbing. We will end the event with a sensory experience - a water tasting combined with Mediterranean herbs and food. The number of places is limited to 30! PROGRAMME | APPLY HERE | FB post | FB event

    Wednesday, 12 March 2025 UP succeeds in acquiring a supercomputer as part of a consortium

    Slovenia has won a European tender for a high-performance supercomputer. It achieved the highest score among the applicants and the project was widely praised. IZUM Director Aleš Bošnjak believes that Slovenia's success in the tender is because Slovenia was the first of the eight applicants in the tender to set up a supercomputer in 2021. He also believes that the competencies and synergies of the project partners were an important factor. The application for the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking tender for a high-performance supercomputer with an artificial intelligence factory was submitted by the Maribor-based Institute of Information Sciences (Izum) with the support of the Ministry of Digital Transformation on behalf of a consortium of organizations including the Jožef Stefan Institute, Arnes, the University of Maribor, the University of Ljubljana, the University of Nova Gorica, the University of Primorska, the Faculty of Information Studies in Novo mesto, the Ljubljana Technology Park and the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

             

    On behalf of the University of Primorska, the project was prepared by UP IAM and UP FAMNIT employees, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jernej Vičič and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aleksandar Tošić.

    Dr. Tošić said on the occasion of the success: »The acquisition of the project is of great importance for the development of Slovenian science, especially in the field of artificial intelligence. The UP Department of Information Science and Technology will now have access to hardware for complex calculations that we are currently unable to perform. VEGA 2 is now allowing Slovenian researchers to conduct more extensive research and the development of their own GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformers) models, which has not been possible so far. In addition to scientific research, the project will provide an important link with industry by enabling wider use of supercomputing capabilities.«

    Ksenija Klampfer, Minister for Digital Transformation, explained at the press conference that the new supercomputer will act as a central platform for advanced research and applications, supporting both economic and academic partners. The new supercomputer will be about 16 times more powerful than the existing supercomputer and will be fully adapted to artificial intelligence services and solutions. The project is worth €150 million, of which up to €75 million is to be co-funded by the EU and the rest by the Republic of Slovenia, as the funds are already foreseen in the Ministry's budget. The management, maintenance and administration of the new supercomputer will be carried out by Izum with the support of Arnes and the Jožef Stefan Institute.

    Monday, 10 March 2025 The International Day of Mathematics (Pi Day) is approaching

    At UP FAMNIT, we will celebrate this year's International Day of Mathematics - Pi Day on March 14, 2025, with the international mathematics competition Náboj for high school students. This year marks the first time the competition will be held in Slovenia. Around 150 students from across the country will have the opportunity to compete in a two-hour mathematics challenge.

    The competition will start at 11:30 AM and conclude at 2:00 PM with the announcement of the winners.

    Pi Day is an annual celebration held on March 14 to honor the mathematical constant π (pi), which is also recognized as International Day of Mathematics. In the American date format, March 14 is written as 3/14, representing the first three digits of pi. Events worldwide, mainly competitions involving the memorization of pi’s decimal places, take place on this day. Piphilology includes various mnemonic techniques that help people memorize as many decimal places of pi as possible.

    On Pi Day, UNESCO, IDM, and IMU will also host a webinar titled "Mathematics and Creativity in Art and Education" from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM. Registration is required to attend. The webinar will explore various ways in which art and mathematics intertwine and how both contribute to creativity.

    Ingrid Daubechies will give a 15-minute lecture titled "Mathematics Helping Art Conservation." The event will feature videos of dancer Sadeck Berrabah, pianist Filippo Gorini, and sculptor Theo Jansen. Additionally, there will be several short five-minute presentations from mathematicians contributing to art and artists incorporating mathematics into their work.

    Wednesday, 5 March 2025 Botanical Research by Biodiversity Department Leads to the Discovery of a New Plant Genus and Species

    An international team of researchers from China, Croatia, France, Montenegro, Slovenia and Spain has announced the discovery and description of a new plant genus and species – Petrolamium crnojevicii Dragićević, Vuksanović & Surina – found in a remote and inaccessible area of Montenegro. The research also involved two members of the Department of Biodiversity at UP FAMNIT, Assoc. Prof. Boštjan Surina, who led the study, and Assist. Prof. Peter Glasnović. Modern molecular-genetic, cytogenetic, and classical methods have clearly defined the phylogenetic position and evolutionary history of this new taxon.

    The discovery of new species is not uncommon, especially with the use of modern research methods. However, the discovery of a new genus is a significantly rarer event. The identification and description of the new plant genus and species Petrolamium crnojevicii in the rugged karst terrain of Montenegro represent one of the most significant – if not the greatest discoveries in the last 200 years of plant diversity and evolution research. The discovery is particularly notable as the plant belongs to the mint family (Lamiaceae), one of the most extensively studied plant families due to its medicinal properties and versatile uses.

    The newly discovered plant has its closest living relatives in the high-altitude scree slopes of the Himalayas. It thrives in the crevices of limestone cliffs within a very limited area of Montenegro, between Cetinje and Podgorica. Due to its extremely restricted distribution and numerous potential threats, the species has been proposed for inclusion on the Red List as critically endangered. A specimen of the new genus and species Petrolamium crnojevicii (isotype) has also been preserved in the Herbarium of the University of Primorska (KP). The research findings were published in February this year in the international scientific journal TAXON: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/tax.13313