Three members of the Slovenian Society INFORMATIKA (SDI) received outstanding recognition at the conclusion of the 28th Information Society Multiconference, held at the Jožef Stefan Institute in Ljubljana.
The Prestigious Michie-Turing Lifetime Achievement Award
The highlight of the ceremony was the presentation of the prestigious Michie-Turing Lifetime Achievement Award to SDI’s long-standing president, Niko Schlamberger, for his outstanding contribution to the development and promotion of the information society.
Mr Schlamberger (pictured on the right of the photo), has been closely associated with SDI for more than 30 years, including 26 years as president from 1997 to 2023. He continues to serve on the executive board and contributes to the editorial team of Islovar, the specialist terminological dictionary.
A true pioneer of informatics, he has authored more than 150 publications and is known as a dedicated mentor, lecturer, developer of business solutions and advocate for the profession.
He has also played a major role in international associations including IFIP (International Federation for Information Processing), CEPIS and the ICDL Foundation. At IFIP, he served two consecutive three-year terms as Vice-President from 2003 and also held the positions of Trustee and Chair of the Marketing Committee, giving Slovenia a strong international voice.
Among his many achievements, he introduced the ICDL programme to Slovenia, creating the country’s first formal certificate of digital competence, and co-founded major national conferences such as Informatika v javni upravi and SDI’s Dnevi slovenske informatike.
Legends of Computing and Informatics Awards
SDI also presented the special Legends of Computing and Informatics awards to two highly respected members, Dr Mirjana Kljajić Borštnar and Dr Ivan Rozman.
Dr Mirjana Kljajić Borštnar is a Full Professor in Information Systems at the Faculty of Organisational Sciences, University of Maribor. Her body of work is extensive, with more than 390 entries in the COBISS database. She serves as Vice-President of SDI and Chief and Responsible Editor of its official journal, Uporabna informatika. She is also Co-Chair of the programme committee for the International Symposium on Operations Research in Slovenia (SOR). Her dedication to research, teaching and science promotion has been recognised many times, including with this year’s Silver Honorary Plaque of SDI.
The second Legend award went to Dr Ivan Rozman, former Rector of the University of Maribor and retired Full Professor at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Dr Rozman is one of the central figures of Slovenian informatics, widely respected for his contribution to developing skilled professionals and strengthening links between academia and industry.
He was among the first recipients of the Michie-Turing Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008 and previously served as an SDI executive board member. His distinguished career spans research and development in information systems, business informatics, modelling, and simulation. He has authored more than 80 original scientific articles and over 300 conference papers.