The Catholic Institute is the first step towards the founding of a catholic university in Slovenia. The Institute is engaged in research and development activities in the social sciences and humanities. Its primary mission, however, is to form institutions or faculties (schools) of higher education in most diverse fields of study and research, as well as university-level libraries, research centers and student dormitories, all of which will ultimately combine into a university. Currently the Institute comprises the Faculty of Business Studies (FBS), Studia Slovenica (the central library and archive of the Slovenian catholic university project) and the Institute for Human Rights Law .

The Institute was founded by the Slovenian Episcopal Conference, whose membership includes all Slovenian dioceses, i.e. (the Archdiocese of Ljubljana, the Diocese of Koper, the Diocese of Novo Mesto, the Archdiocese of Maribor, the Diocese of Celje and the Diocese of Murska Sobota).

The Institute is a legal person of private nature and a non-profit institution, and is headquartered in Ljubljana.