The University of Ljubljana is keeping up with the changes and demands of events associated with the coronavirus. We are adapting to unknown conditions, and like elsewhere we have started changing our operating practices in all areas. “It’s difficult, but I am certain that we will succeed. If we can just believe that we are able, and if as a society we can hold together,” said Rector Prof. Dr Igor Papič, addressing employees and students of the University of Ljubljana. His speech is published in full at this link. 

The member institutions of the University of Ljubljana have acted together and immediately contributed assistance to citizens, stepping this up in the past few days. 

In concern for the health and wellbeing of patients, the University of Ljubljana Faculty of Pharmacy has set up a working group that will monitor new developments in the area of treatment for COVID 19 and development of SARS-CoV-2 anti-viral medicines. The working group will provide continuously updated notification that will be based on independent, scientific and clinical results. New developments will be communicated both to the general public and to professional circles, specifically to the Pharmaceutical Chamber, the Slovenian Pharmaceutical Society and the Agency for Medicinal Products and Medical Devices of the Republic of Slovenia. In this way we will try to contribute to the better provision of information, and above all to effective treatments. Meanwhile, during the epidemic of the contagious COVID-19 disease, students will offer assistance to pharmacies. The faculty will operate as an information point and will offer assistance in connecting students with pharmacies. The faculty has set up on its website a special sub-page for COVID-19 current information (in Slovene), which provides useful information about the coronavirus, both for professionals and the general public (for example: “Can ibuprofen make the progress of the COVID-19 disease worse?”).

Animal clinics at the University of Ljubljana Veterinary Faculty remain open, but in a limited scope with duty roster teams. There is also a special e-mail address for questions regarding coronavirus and animals: . The faculty is monitoring all information regarding the possible role animals play in transmitting the coronavirus. For the moment transmission is not confirmed, but has not yet been entirely ruled out.

The 4PDIH team, which operates under the auspices of the Telecommunications Laboratory at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the University of Ljubljana, has set up a web tool Help at hand. The purpose of the tool is to seek out as many organisations as possible that offer free assistance, and connect them to those that need help, for example the elderly who cannot go themselves to the shops or pharmacies, or parents who need to be present at work every day but have small children at home.

Based on their knowledge and experience, the University of Ljubljana Faculty of Mechanical Engineering has come up with suggestions (in Slovene) for combating coronavirus in seven areas: detection of those infected, protection against infection, medical devices for the sick, handling infected waste, general measures for preventing infection, monitoring, analysis and predicting infection, and methods of communication during the epidemic.

Staff at the University of Ljubljana Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering are advising companies on manufacturing means of protection. They are studying the possibility of protection for surfaces that people touch frequently, and the possibility of steering research within programme groups at the faculty in line with the appeal from the Slovenian Research Agency.

The University of Ljubljana Faculty of Sport together with partners the National Institute of Public Health, Ministry of Defence, Slovenian Olympic Committee and Federation of Sports Associations, the Slovenian Board of Education and the sports programmes of TV Slovenia have drawn up tips for exercise and training. You can view videos here.

For the time of the emergency measures, the Department of Psychology of the University of Ljubljana Faculty of Arts is posting on its website numerous expert and scholarly articles, personal reflections and infographics that can help staff work under the new conditions. 

A team from the Psychosocial Counselling Office, which operates as part of the University of Ljubljana Faculty of Education, has drawn up some guidelines on how to deal effectively with the current circumstances. These guidelines are suitable for both employees and students. In view of the situation, the team is available for counselling for both employees and students. Students of psychology and young psychologists from the Faculties of Arts in Ljubljana and Maribor have jointly set up the project Psychosocial Support During the Coronavirus.  

The period of isolation can be an opportunity for in-depth reflection and conversations about continuing studies, exploring career opportunities, planning employment and/or active job seeking. For students of the University of Ljubljana, career guidance counsellors are still accessible to offer individual guidance online in real time (using various tools), by e-mail or by telephone.

More information on the current situation regarding the coronavirus and the operations of the University of Ljubljana can be found at the link: https://www.uni-lj.si/ul_and_coronavirus/.