Academia operosorum (Academy of hard-working fellows) - a forerunner of the modern Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts - was founded in 1693 in Ljubljana as an association of 23 scientists, most of whom were of Slovenian descent.

From the beginning its purpose was to organise scientific work in the fields of law, medicine, philosophy and theology. The members of the Academia adopted the Latin name apes (bees) and the academic tag Nobis atque aliis - operosi. Every year they would organise an annual meeting, as well as four other academic meetings, where the results of scientific research would be discussed. The newly-founded library became an important centre of activity of the "Operosi". In 1701, it was merged with Academia incoltorum (Academy of fine arts) and Academia philharmonicorum (Academy of music). At the time of its greatest prosperity, around 1714, it was an international association of 42 members from Austria assembled under the patronage of the bishop Franz Karl von Kaunitz. The Academia fell into decline in the summer of 1725. It was revived in 1781, thanks to the efforts of Slovenian members of the Enlightenment. Unfortunately, it was only active for another 20 years or so and declined again because of the different outlooks of its members.