Austrian Science and Research Liaison Office (ASO) Ljubljana
The Austrian Science and Research Liaison Office Ljubljana has been established in October 1990 as branch office of the Vienna based Austrian Institute for East and Southeast European Studies to foster scientific co-operation between Austria and Slovenia.
ASO Ljubljana has been reorganised in March 2004 and is since that time part of the Centre for Social Innovation (ZSI) in Vienna. ASO Ljubljana receives its funding mainly from Austrian Federal Ministry of Science and Research (bm:wf) and partially also from Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology of Republic of Slovenia.
ZSI is in charge of coordination of activities of ASO Ljubljana and ASO Sofia with bm:wf as well as of coordination with regard to national, bilateral and international initiatives and programmes. The Austrian Science and Research Liaison Offices in Ljubljana and Sofia support the science policy of Austria in South Eastern Europe which is co-ordinated on European level with projects and initiatives like SEE-ERA.net www.see-era.net , Information Office of the Steering Platform on research for the Western Balkans (www.see-science.eu , etc.
Some highlights of ASO Ljubljana work:
ASO Ljubljana has initiated and co-organised together with Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology of Republic of Slovenia, Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, Hellenic Ministry of Development in February 2005 in European Parliament the international conference “Participation of Western Balkan Countries in EU RTD Framework Programmes” www.aso.zsi.at/de/slo/veranstaltung/190.html
In November 2005 ASO Ljubljana and UNESCO Office in Venice organized in cooperation with European Association of Research Managers and Administrators EARMA a Training Seminar on International Project Management for Research Managers from South-east European countries in Ljubljana, from 9 to 11 November, 2005. 21 participants were chosen from 260 applications from both governmental agencies and academia and came from all of the Balkan countries as well as Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey and the host country Slovenia.
In November 2002 ASO Ljubljana organised a Round table on “Challenges for RTD co-operation with non-candidate countries in South-eastern Europe” at the official FP6 Launching conference in Brussels
In September 2006 ASO Ljubljana organised together with UNESCO Office in Venice and Slovenian Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology the International conference and Ministerial Roundtable “Why invest in science in SEE countries?” http://investsciencesee.info/
Miroslav Polzer, Head of the ASO Ljubljana since 1996

Miroslav Polzer: is an expert in international scientific co-operation management; he has written his PhD in the field of development economics and environmental economics at the Karl Franzens University of Graz on environmental problems in Calcutta; Mr. Polzer is Member of the Permanent Committee of the International League of Humanists, Sarajevo/Philadelphia, Individual Member of the Academic Council on United Nations System (ACUNS) and Individual Member of European Association of Development Research and Training Associations (EADI)