Awards

First presented in 2010

Awards of the National Institute of Biology named in honour of Professor Dr Miroslav Zei, one of the Institute’s founders, were first presented at a ceremonious event commemorating the 50th anniversary of the National Institute of Biology. Miroslav Zei (1914 - 2006) Awards were presented to individuals for exceptional achievements in the field of basic and applied research in the life sciences and for their contribution to achieving the vision and mission of the National Institute of Biology.

Professor Miroslav Zei was born in Nabresina, near Trieste. His love affair with the sea began in his early childhood, as he spent time along the shores of the Gulf of Trieste during World War I. This foremost Slovenian biologist, ichthyologist and oceanologist would remain loyal to the sea his entire life. To him, it meant more than just an inexhaustible source of research - to him, the sea was the cradle of countless myths. In the decades following World War II, Miroslav Zei would hold a number of important functions, including Director of the Institute of Marine Biology at the Yugoslavian Academy of Sciences and Arts in Rovinj, Head of the Zoological Institute at the Faculty of Natural Science and Mathematics of the University of Ljubljana, a thirteen-year stint as an expert and Director at United Nations fishery and oceanographic projects in Ghana, Tunisia and the Eastern Tropical Atlantic and honorary Head of the Marine Biology Station in Piran. He was also a member of several international intergovernmental committees for research of the Mediterranean, a visiting professor at universities in Europe and Africa, a mentor to young Slovenian biologists and a passionate researcher. He penned a score of scientific monographs and numerous scientific articles, and cemented his renown in the scientific world by discovering hermaphroditism in bony fish.

The Miroslav Zei Award for Exceptional Achievements in the Field of the Research Activities of the National Institute of Biology by years:

2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2018
2019

The Grand Miroslav Zei Award for Life Work in the Field of the Activities of the National Institute of Biology by years:

2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2017
2018

Award for Exceptional Doctoral Work in the Field of the Research Activities of the National Institute of Biology by years:

2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019