József Györkös is the director of the Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS) from November 2014 and he is a university professor in the area of computer science and informatics at the University of Maribor, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He is experienced in active participation in high-level bodies of the European Union in the capacity of former state secretary of the Slovenian government (2001-04, portfolio on information society and 2008-11, portfolio on higher education, science and technology). Between 2008 and 2011 he served as a chair of the Prime minister’s Council for information society and he was actively involved in origination of a new model of financing the higher education in Republic of Slovenia aimed to increase the autonomy and predictable financing of the higher education institutions.

In 2011 he was a contributor for national strategies for the next decade of research and higher education, both joined under the umbrella of Audacious Slovenia project. Furthermore, he has been member and chair (2013-14) of the EU CONNECT Advisory Forum in ICT Research and Technology (advisory group to the commissioner Neelie Kroes to provide expert support on the strategy to effectively reinforce the use of ICT in the H2020 societal challenges influenced by enabling technologies and innovation). He is a chair of the multi-stakeholder Steering Committee for assessment and reshaping of research evaluation in Slovenia. In 2015 Slovenia adopted the National Strategy on Open Access to Scientific Publications and Research Data where the Slovenian Research Agency is one of the key stakeholders in activities that follow the strategy. He is a member of the national task group for the open access at the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports of the Republic of Slovenia.

Tasks and responsibilities as declared in Chapters 20-29 of the Statute.

Past terms of office