Slovene lectureships and degree studies organized at 57 foreign universities are supported by the programme ‘Slovene at Foreign Universities’ with professional teachers, teaching materials, coordination of the projects, and also with monitoring the changes and adapting the programme and its support. The programme with its activities, organisation and practice provides support for the advancement of the Slovene studies, research in the field of Slovene studies and interdisciplinary studies, and at the same time it promotes the Slovene language, literature and culture around the world, strengthens the cooperation among universities, and teachers‘ and students‘ mobility.
There is a number of internal factors that have a significant impact on the programme, namely the development of the field of Slovene as a foreign language, organisation of the programme, teachers‘ education and training, their network, and the financial support of the programme. External factors present social conditions and changes at university markets that are the results of broader changes in the society. Teachers that go abroad to teach Slovene at foreign universities, are on the one hand obliged to work in accordance to the established study programmes at foreign universities, status of the Slovene studies (degree study, compulsory or optional courses), and on the other hand they work closely with the academic staff, and literature available. The article will present the network of Slovene lectureships at foreign universities and its development during the last 25 years, and also the challenges it meets.