Foundation stone laid for the Vrazov trg Campus

On Wednesday, 7 February 2024, Prof. Dr. Gregor Majdič, Rector of UL, together with the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Dr. Igor Papič, laid the foundation stone for the new campus of the Faculty of Medicine.

This is one of the most financially extensive projects to be implemented in Slovenia by 2026 with the help of European funds under the Recovery and Resilience Plan.

"I am delighted that today we are starting the construction of the new Faculty of Medicine building, which will be able to provide modern facilities for medical research, and will allow for increased student enrolment at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Ljubljana, enabling us to respond to the needs of society. Today's event is also personally important for me, because I started my first steps in science at the place where the foundation stone is being laid today, in the old laboratories of the Institute of Biochemistry, which, together with other, mainly pre-clinical institutes, will now have modern facilities for even better work," said the Rector of the University of Ljubljana, prof. Dr Gregor Majdič, and thanked all those involved in the project for their efforts and the representatives of the European Commission and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation for the funding provided.

"The Faculty of Medicine's mission is to build our future in medical education, science and the profession. Our vision is to stand alongside the most respected institutions in Europe. To achieve this goal, it is not only the superior knowledge and dedication of our staff and students that is enough, but also the appropriate infrastructure to enable top-class education, research and professional work. This is why the Faculty developed a triple campus project several years ago. This is a key part of our long-term development strategy and will be fully realised in more than ten years' time. The building whose foundations we are laying today represents an investment in the first of the three campuses. So today we are not just laying the foundation stone of a new building, we are beginning to realise the long-term and ambitious vision we set out seven years ago. This makes today a historic day that gives us and society hope for the future. This is invaluable in the current world," said the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Ljubljana, Prof. Dr. Igor Švab.

"I remember vividly a moment four years ago during the kovid crisis, when we all stayed at home, locked in our rooms, and in Belgium, at 8 pm, we applauded from the bottom of our hearts the work of the doctors, the nurses, the entire medical staff. We called them heroes and promised never to forget all they have done for us. The investment we are presenting today is a concrete expression of our gratitude. €40 million is the share contributed by the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism. This is an important contribution to the construction of new infrastructure; it will improve the working conditions for all those who will work in the new premises, but more importantly, it will enable us to provide even better and more successful education for students," underlined Ms Céline Gauer, Director General of the Recovery and Resilience Task Force.

"It is a pleasure to be reunited in this way after less than two months. In December we laid the foundation stone for the new Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, and today we are symbolically laying the foundations for the new Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ljubljana. At the same time, colleagues in Maribor are also preparing the documentation for the expansion of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Maribor. There is a great interest among young people in studying medicine, which is certainly positive. It is our duty to ensure that the conditions are right, both for students and for professors, for studying at both medical faculties. All of us involved are aware of the effort and effort that has been required to get to this point, where the project is now starting to come to fruition. I wish my colleagues at the Faculty of Medicine a successful work and the future generations of students the best possible conditions for their studies. In the longer term, we want to make the situation for Slovenian healthcare much better," said Dr Igor Papič, Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation.The speeches were followed by the signing of the contract with the contractor, the Director of MAKRO 5 GRADNJE d. o. o., Mr Igor Hvastja.

The event was enriched with a musical programme by members of the Big Band of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Ljubljana.In November 2022, the University of Ljubljana and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation (now the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation) signed an agreement on co-financing the construction of a new building for the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Ljubljana. The €84.8 million project is co-financed by the European Union under the Recovery and Resilience Plan - European funding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo: Slovenian Press Agency STA/Nebojša Tejić