Construction of Josef Stefan Institute began in 1949 and was completed in 1953. When it opened in 1954, the focus of the Institute was to train young professionals and conduct research to develop new nuclear related technologies. That mandate remains current to this day (2004). Under IAEA sponsorship, the Institute has trained engineers, offering courses in nuclear material handling and constructing nuclear power plants. Institute projects have included reactor engineering, radiological protection, and studying the processing and exploitation of raw nuclear material. In 1961, there were approximately 186 scientific and 128 technical staff working at the Institute. That number has expanded as the activity at the institute has flourished. In 2002, thirty-five percent of Slovenia's annual scientific publications in the natural sciences originated from this institute. It has no fixed income but receives payment mostly for research projects contracted through the Slovenian government, the EU, NATO and industries.

Source:
[1] Slobodan Nakicenovic, Nuclear Energy in Yugoslavia, (Beograde: Export Press, 1961), p. 35.
[2] Slobodan Nakicenovic, Nuclear Energy in Yugoslavia, (Beograde: Export Press, 1961), p. 38.
[3] Josef Stalin Institute, www.ijs.si.