7 Uvodnik / Editorial ACTA MEDICO–BIOTECHNICA 2023; 16 (1): 7-9 The development of the scientific research work of MF UM students in the last 20 year Introductory speech at the Congress on Scientific Research Work 17. 5. 2023 at the MF and the University Clinical Centre Maribor »From laboratory to hospital bed« The main motto of the University of Maribor is a commitment to research excellence and international comparability in broader research areas, which is also written in the university’s strategy. The Faculty of Medicine is one of the 17 members of the university and, therefore, committed to the fulfilment of all accepted strategic goals and directions for the 2021–2030 period. In order to realize these goals, it is necessary to facilitate optimal research conditions as a precondition for reaching excellence in research. What is particularly important in all of this is connecting scientific research fields among individual faculties within the University of Maribor, as well as in the broader Slovenian area. Especially important is connecting with international research organizations in the context of various projects, engaging in the transfer of science, and making a contribution to the development of society and the progress of a region. Exceptionally important is the integration of students in research work, even at the very beginning of their studies. The University of Maribor has set strategic goals it aims to reach by 2030, among which the most important are engaging in sustainable, socially responsible and qualitative development, achieving scientific and artistic excellence, establishing a technological innovation centre at the University of Maribor, securing stable systemic funding for research and artistic work, strengthening the creative interdisciplinary research cores, and asserting open access to research results. All of these are also the goals of the Faculty of Medicine to which we are, posterior to accepting this strategy of the university, committed. We must fulfil it to the greatest possible extent. The Faculty of Medicine at the University of Maribor (MF UM) was founded in October 2003. It was then registered to the record of research institutes/organisations, research groups and researchers in the spring of 2005. Until the year 2005, it had no research projects of its own. The majority of higher education teachers were then included in research Razvoj znanstvenorazis- kovalnega dela študentov MF UM v zadnji 20 letih Uvodni nagovor na kongresu o znanstvenora- ziskovalnem delu 17. 5. 2023 na MF UM in UKC Maribor »Od laboratorija do bolnikove postelje« Glavno vodilo Univerze v Mariboru je zavezanost k raziskovalni odličnosti in mednarodni primerljivosti v širšem raziskovalnem prostoru, kar je zapisano v strategiji Univerze v Mariboru. Medicinska fakulteta je ena izmed 17 članic Univerze in zato zavezana k izpolnjevanju vseh sprejetih strateških ciljev in usmeritvam za obdobje 2021–2030. Da bi te cilje lahko uresničili, je treba omogočiti optimalne raziskovalne pogoje kot predpogoj za doseganje odličnosti pri raziskovanju. Pri tem je pomembno povezovanje na znanstvenoraziskovalnem področju med posameznimi fakultetami znotraj Univerze v Mariboru, kakor tudi v širšem slovenskem prostoru. Izjemno pomembno je povezovanje z mednarodnimi raziskovalnimi organizacijami pri različnih projektih, prenosu znanosti kot prispevek k razvoju družbe in napredku regije. Izjemno pomembno je vključevanje študentov v raziskovalno delo že na začetku študija. Univerza v Mariboru si je zastavila strateške cilje do leta 2030, med katerimi so najpomembnejši trajnostni, družbeno odgovoren in kakovostni razvoj, doseganje znanstvene in umetniške odličnosti, vzpostavitev tehnološko-inovacijskega centra Univerze v Mariboru, stabilno sistemsko financiranje raziskovalnega in umetniškega dela, krepitev kreativnih interdisciplinarnih raziskovalnih jeder in uveljavljanje odprtega dostopa do rezultatov raziskav. Vse to so cilji tudi Medicinske fakultete, h katerim smo po sprejetju te strategije Univerze zavezani, in jih moramo v največji meri izpolnjevati. Medicinska fakulteta Univerze v Mariboru je bila ustanovljena oktobra 2003, v evidenco raziskovalnih zavodov/organizacij, raziskovalnih skupin in raziskovalcev je bila registrirana šele spomladi 2005. Do leta 2005 je bila brez lastnih raziskovalnih projektov. Večina visokošolskih učiteljev je bila takrat vključenih v raziskovalne projekte na svojih matičnih institucijah (UKC Maribor, druge fakultete Univerze v Mariboru, Univerze v Ljubljani, ...). V letu 2006 smo dobili prvega doktoranda na MF UM. Konec l. 2022 je bilo na MF UM promoviranih že 136 https://doi.org/10.18690/actabiomed.245, CC BY 4.0 © 2023 Avtor(ji) / The Author(s) 8 Uvodnik / Editorial ACTA MEDICO–BIOTECHNICA 2023; 16 (1): 7-9 doktorjev znanosti, kar je največ med vsemi članicami UM v zadnjih letih. To vse kaže na pravilen pristop in pravilne aktivne politike MF pri razvoju raziskovalnega dela na MF UM. L. 2006 smo se intenzivno povezali z raziskovalci jugovzhodne Evrope skupaj z Medicinsko univerzo v Gradcu, ki je bila koordinator srečanja raziskovalcev teh dežel. Med letoma 2008 in 2009 smo organizirali več srečanj raziskovalcev UM in UKC, da bi spoznali različne vsebine raziskovanja in omogočili interdisciplinarni pristop k raziskavam. To so bili zametki MF UM kot vse bolj prepoznavne raziskovalne organizacije. Leta 2008 je bilo na MF UM registriranih 5 raziskovalnih skupin s 27 raziskovalci in 2 tehničnima sodelavcema. Konec l. 2022 smo imeli že 9 raziskovalnih skupin s 75 raziskovalci in 18 tehničnimi sodelavci. Za prikaz raziskovalnega dela na fakulteti smo se l. 2006 odločili za vsakoletno izdajo Pregleda bibliografij visokošolskih učiteljev in raziskovalnih projektov. Do zdaj je izšlo 15 bibliografij. Pregled bibliografij zajema pregled doktoratov, raziskovalnih projektov, raziskovalnih skupin in mladih raziskovalcev, podeljenih nagrad (dekanove, Perlachove, …) in letno spremljanje bibliografij habilitiranih učiteljev po dogovorjenih kazalcih znanstvenoraziskovalne dejavnosti za preteklo leto. Da bi v raziskovalno dejavnost vključili čim večji krog študentov, smo na MF UM uvedli dekanove nagrade za najboljša študentska raziskovalna dela. Tako smo želeli izenačiti študente medicine MF UM s študenti medicine MF Univerze v Ljubljani glede točkovanja pri pridobivanju specializacij in dosegli, da se dekanova nagrada MF UM vrednoti enako kot Prešernova nagrada MF UL in Perlachova nagrada UM enako kot Prešernova nagrada UL. Decembra 2007 so bile podeljene prve »dekanove nagrade« za razpisane raziskovalne naloge za leto 2007 za študente MF UM. Naloge ocenjuje posebna komisija, ki jo vsako leto na predlog KZRZ MF UM potrdi Senat MF UM. Vsako leto podeli zlato, srebrno in bronasto dekanovo nagrado, in to praviloma na dan MF UM. Komisija upošteva pravilnik za ocenjevanje nalog, sprejet na Senatu MF UM. Od leta 2007 do leta 2022, v 15 letih, je bilo podeljenih 45 dekanovih nagrad. Od teh jih je 9 dobilo Perlachovo nagrado UM za najboljše raziskovalne študentsko delo v tekočem letu. V l. 2008 je MF UM začela izdajati svojo znanstvenoraziskovalno revijo z imenom Acta medico- biotechnica (AMB). Revija izhaja redno dvakrat letno že projects at their own central institutions (the UCC Maribor, other faculties of the University of Maribor, the University of Ljubljana, etc.). In the year 2006, we enrolled the first PhD student at the MF UM. At the end of the year 2022, there were already 136 PhDs promoted at the MF UM, which is the highest number among all UM members in recent years. This indicates that we have taken the correct approaches and implemented active policies at the MF to develop research work at the MF UM. In 2006, we actively connected with researchers from Southeastern Europe together with the Medical University in Graz, which coordinated a meeting of researchers from these countries. Between the years 2008 and 2009, we organised several meetings of researchers from UM and the UCC to get acquainted with various contents of research projects and facilitate an interdisciplinary approach to research. These were the origins of the MF UM, which was becoming increasingly recognisable as a research organisation. In the year 2008, there were five registered research groups with 27 researchers and two technical members of staff at the MF UM. At the end of the year 2022, we already had nine research groups with 75 researchers and 18 technical members of staff. In order to highlight the research being performed within the faculty, we made the decision in the year 2006 to issue an annual publication called Review of Bibliographies of Higher Education Teachers and Research Projects. Thus far, 15 bibliographies have been published. The Review of Bibliographies encompasses the review of doctorates, research projects, research groups and young researchers, awarded prizes (Dean's, Perlach's, etc.), and annual monitoring of bibliographies of habilitated teachers according to agreed- upon indicators of scientific research activity over the past year. In order to extend our circle of students engaged in research activity, we introduced the Dean's Awards at the MF UM for the best student research papers. In doing so, we endeavoured to even out the MF UM medical students with medical students of the MF of the University of Ljubljana (MF UL) regarding scoring when obtaining specialisations. Today, the Dean's Award of the MF UM is valued in the same way as the Prešeren's Award of the MF UL and that the Perlach's Award of the UM is valued in the same way as the Prešeren's Award of the UL. In December 2007, the first Dean's Awards were presented when a tender was opened for research papers of the year 2007 for MF UM students. Papers are evaluated by the Uvodnik / Editorial 9ACTA MEDICO–BIOTECHNICA 2023; 16 (1): 7-9 15 let. Do zdaj je izšlo 29 številk, skupno je bilo objavljenih 235 člankov. V reviji so bili objavljeni številni članki, katerih avtorji so bili študenti MF UM. Tako je tudi AMB pomembno prispevala k vključitvi študentov v raziskovalno delo na MF UM. Je edina tovrstna znanstvenoraziskovalna revija, katere izdajatelj je MF. Vodstvo MF UM je že vse od ustanovitve dalje imelo željo in potrebo po izdajanju lastne znanstvenoraziskovalne revije, saj je bilo prepričano, da bo pomembno vplivala na raziskovalno dejavnost ne le učiteljev, ampak tudi študentov. Lahko rečemo, da je ustanovitev revije izpolnila naša pričakovanja. Začrtali smo dobre smernice za raziskovalno dejavnost na MF UM. Objave študentov v mednarodno priznanih revijah, prejetje dekanovih in Perlachovih nagrad in priznanj in druga prejeta priznanja so dokaz razvite znanstvenoraziskovalne dejavnosti med študenti in hkrati veliko priznanje mentorjem, ki jih na tej poti spodbujajo in usmerjajo. Naši študentje so nas na tem področju v vseh letih vedno znova prijetno presenetili in verjamem, da bo tako tudi v prihodnje pri naslednjih generacijah, ki bodo vstopale v našo hišo in jo zapuščale po končanem študiju z bogatimi izkušnjami na raziskovalnem področju. Prof. dr. Dušica Pahor, dr. med., odgovorna urednica prodekanja za znanstvenoraziskovalno dejavnost MF UM predsednica Komisije za znanstvenoraziskovalno dejavnost MF UM Committee for the Evaluation of Papers, which is approved by the Senate of the MF UM every year following the proposal of the Committee for Scientific Research Activity at the MF UM. Every year, Gold, Silver and Bronze Dean's Awards are presented, and, as a rule, they are presented on the Day of the MF UM. The committee takes the list of rules for evaluating papers adopted by the Senate of the MF UM into account. From 2007 until 2022, over a period of 15 years, 45 Dean's Awards have been presented. Of these, nine were presented with the Perlach's Award of the UM for the best student research work conducted in the current year. In 2008, the MF UM began publishing its scientific research journal titled Acta Medico-biotechnica (AMB). The journal has been published regularly twice a year for 15 years and is the only scientific research journal published by the MF UM. Thus far, 29 issues, including a total of 235 articles, have been published. In the journal, numerous articles have been published whose authors were past MF UM students. In this way, AMB also contributed to the inclusion of students in research work at the MF UM. The MF UM management has, since its establishment, moved onwards with a wish and need to publish its own scientific research journal since it was convinced that it would have an important influence on the research activity of not only teachers but also students. We can say that the establishment of the journal has fulfilled our expectations. We have outlined useful guidelines for research activities at the MF UM. Publications of student research in internationally renowned journals, numerous recipients of the Dean's and Perlach's Awards and Acknowledgements, and other types of recognition are proof of a more developed scientific research activity among students, and simultaneously a great acknowledgement to mentors who have encouraged and directed them on this path. Our students have pleasantly surprised us in this field over the years, and I believe that this will also be the case with the following generations who will be entering our institution and will be leaving it after completing their studies, supplemented with rich experience in the research field. Full Prof. Dušica Pahor, MD, PhD Managing Editor Vice Dean for Scientific Research Activity at the MF UM President of the Committee for Scientific Research Activity at the MF UM Ignoranti quem portum petat, nullus suus ventus est. Tistemu, ki ne ve, kam želi pripluti, noben veter ni dober. No wind is favourable to someone who does not know where they are sailing. Seneka