Slovenia - AI Development Programme

Overview

The National Programme for the Promotion of the Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Republic of Slovenia until 2025 (NpUI) is a strategic policy document prepared by an inter-ministerial working group under the coordination of the Ministry of Public Administration and confirmed by the Government in mid-2021. It articulates a national vision for fostering AI research, innovation and uptake while safeguarding fundamental rights and aligning with EU initiatives. The full official programme is published by the Government and is available in its primary, government-approved form (Ljubljana, 27 May 2021). See the programme text: National Programme (PDF) and the Government announcement: GOV.SI – Adoption news. The programme establishes 10 strategic goals, six priority application areas and a governance and implementation architecture supporting measures across research, education, infrastructure and deployment. It is a strategy document (not a statute) that requires ministries and agencies to prepare implementation plans, financing arrangements and indicators.

Definitions

NpUI uses an OECD/EU-informed definition of AI as a socio-technical system encompassing methods and systems that provide capabilities for perception, reasoning, learning and decision-making. The programme defines an "AI system" functionally in the context of EU and OECD terminology, and clarifies terms used throughout the document (e.g., DIH – Digital Innovation Hub; HPC – High Performance Computing; FAIR data principles; reference solutions). The document also provides a glossary of acronyms and abbreviations to ensure consistent interpretation across ministries, research institutions and implementing organisations.

Governance and Institutional Framework

NpUI sets an explicit governance model built around (i) government-level coordination, (ii) lead ministries responsible for specific measures, (iii) cross-ministerial and stakeholder working groups, and (iv) monitoring & evaluation mechanisms. The original 2021 programme names the Ministry of Public Administration as the coordinating authority for monitoring and reporting on implementation, with ministries tasked to embed measures into sectoral strategies and budgets. Implementation is to be supported by Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs), universities and research institutes, sectoral agencies, and an envisaged National Observatory for AI. The Government’s news release and subsequent ministry pages elaborate that the management structure includes a central steering group, an implementation working group and stakeholders from academia, industry and civil society. Key institutional partners named in the programme include the Administration for Information Security (URSIV), the Jožef Stefan Institute, the Faculty of Computer and Information Science (University of Ljubljana), chambers of commerce and SRIPs. See the programme: NpUI (PDF) and the Ministry pages: Digitalisation of society – GOV.SI.

Key Focus Areas

NpUI identifies ten strategic objectives (SC1–SC10) that drive the programme: building a dynamic stakeholder ecosystem; education and human capital; research & innovation funding; deployment of reference AI solutions in economy and public sector; technological infrastructure (HPC, data platforms); enhancing security and resilience; increasing public trust and awareness; ensuring legal and ethical frameworks; reinforcing international cooperation; and establishing a national observatory. The programme emphasises six priority application domains where Slovenia should concentrate investments and reference projects: health; Industry 4.0 / advanced manufacturing; digital public services; language technologies; sustainable food production & environment; and spatial planning. For each focus area, the programme recommends concrete implementation instruments: targeted R&D grants, voucher schemes and DIH support for SMEs, public sector pilots, education & retraining programs, investments in HPC and data stewardship, and communication campaigns to increase public literacy and trust. The programme also highlights the need for interoperable data and adoption of FAIR principles for data management to accelerate research and innovation.

Implementation Framework

Implementation under NpUI is conceived as coordinated, multi-actor activity. The programme requires each responsible ministry to integrate relevant NpUI measures into their sectoral action plans and to ensure financing, where feasible. Suggested implementation instruments include public procurement with innovation (pre-commercial procurement and pilot procurements), co-funded R&D calls, grants to DIHs, financial incentives for SME uptake, and public sector pilots to validate reference solutions. The programme foresees development of implementation schedules, assignment of KPIs and a financing plan prepared by the coordinating ministry in cooperation with finance authorities. It also recommends strengthening institutional capacity (data stewards, AI competence centres) and enabling legal preparedness for future EU legislation.

Monitoring and Evaluation

NpUI proposes a monitoring and evaluation architecture with indicators (investment levels, R&D outputs, educational outcomes, number of reference projects, public sector pilots, DIH-assisted SMEs, HPC utilisation etc.) to be tracked annually. The coordinating ministry is tasked with preparing monitoring reports and consolidating data through the National Observatory for AI. The programme calls for periodic reviews to adjust measures, and it outlines a feedback loop: data collection by the observatory, policy evaluation, stakeholder consultation and programme revision. The objective is to produce evidence-based updates ahead of the programme’s end in 2025 and to inform a successor strategy.

Penalties, Liability, and Appeals

As a strategic (non-regulatory) programme, NpUI itself does not create a new enforcement or penalty regime. Instead, it emphasises alignment with existing national laws (notably data protection/GDPR), sectoral regulation and prospective EU AI regulation. The programme recommends preparing legal and ethical frameworks and guidance for responsibility, accountability and risk mitigation for public-sector AI deployments, and encourages ministries to address liability, redress and appeals within their sectoral regulatory frameworks. Where compliance or sanctions are necessary, these will derive from existing or future statutory instruments rather than from the programme text itself.

Relationship to Other Instruments

NpUI is explicitly positioned to complement and align with other national strategic documents (Digital Slovenia 2030, Research & Innovation strategies, sectoral policies) and EU-level initiatives (the EU Coordinated Plan on AI, GDPR and upcoming EU AI Act proposals at the time). The programme instructs ministries to mainstream NpUI measures into sectoral strategies and to coordinate funding and actions across instruments (EU funds, national budgets, R&D programmes). It is intended as a cross-cutting enabler rather than a standalone legal instrument.

International Alignment

The programme stresses alignment with EU principles (human-centric, trustworthy AI) and international cooperation with research networks, EU labs and international initiatives. It names participation in EU projects and collaborations (e.g., AI4EU, EDIH network) as mechanisms to leverage funding, expertise and interoperability. NpUI calls for strengthening transnational research links, contributing to EU AI standardisation and ensuring compliance with EU legislative developments. See GOV.SI statement on EU alignment: Digitalisation of society – GOV.SI.

Implementation Timeline

Sources and References