Prime Minister Golob: "This Government will always support all advanced technologies"

SLOVENIA, March 12 - On this occasion, the Prime Minister first congratulated the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Dr Igor Papič, and his team on Slovenia's success in the European call for proposals by the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking for a supercomputer and artificial intelligence factory. In the Prime Minister's words, this once again proved that Slovenia is a country of knowledge, ambition and cutting-edge scientific achievements.  "The purpose of AI factories is to make them accessible to a wider interested public and a broader range of users," Golob said, stressing the project's broader societal importance.

The Prime Minister then welcomed the construction of new premises for the National Institute of Chemistry, where the Centre for the Technologies of Gene and Cell Therapy (CTGCT) will operate. The construction is scheduled to begin in the second half of the year.  "I am confident that this investment will help you maintain your leadership both globally and in Slovenia. I am pleased that we have world-renowned researchers, and even more so that they can share the results of their work with the domestic public. The Government will gladly support this and looks forward to seeing more projects of this kind," he added.

He stressed that the Government has consistently increased funding for science and innovation despite the challenging geopolitical and economic situation.  "Since we took office, we have increased the proportion of funding allocated to the broader field of science and innovation research, and we will continue to do so. Alongside our commitment to secure funding, we are also putting in place the regulatory framework.  It is the state's responsibility to provide you with this framework in the long term, so that you can achieve your full potential," the Prime Minister stated.

Finally, the Prime Minister expressed his satisfaction with the progress made in the treatment of children with rare diseases, highlighting the case of Urban, a boy with CTNNB1 syndrome.  "This brings hope not only for Urban and his family but also for other patients and their families," concluded Prime Minister Golob.

The Centre for the Technologies of Gene and Cell Therapy (CTGCT), which is currently located at the National Institute of Chemistry but will move to new premises in the future, is developing technologies for the preparation of advanced medicines for clinical trials to treat diseases for which effective drugs are still unavailable. The centre will facilitate the development of advanced therapies, particularly in the field of gene therapy, including rare neurodevelopmental diseases, cancer immunotherapy, the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, and other advanced biomedical medicines. The aim of the centre is to harness the existing scientific potential in Slovenia and, in the long term, to improve the survival rates and quality of life for patients.

The event was also attended by Dr Špela Miroševič, co-founder of the CTNNB1 Foundation, and Prof Dr Damjan Osredkar, MD, Head of the Clinical Department of Child, Adolescent and Developmental Neurology at the Division of Paediatrics of the University Medical Centre Ljubljana. They briefed the Prime Minister on progress in the development of Urbagen, a drug for the rare CTNNB1 syndrome, and presented the collaboration with the National Institute of Chemistry. Urbagen is named after Urban, a boy who was diagnosed with CTNNB1 syndrome at the age of nine months. The genetic medicine represents a breakthrough not only for Urban and other patients but also for Slovenian science.

During his visit to the Department of Haematology at the University Medical Centre Ljubljana last year, Prime Minister Golob stressed the importance of developing cell therapies and finding solutions to improve patients' lives. Last November, members of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia approved a proposed amendment to the Scientific Research and Innovation Activity Act, allowing funding for the final stages of drug development for children with rare diseases. This amendment was proposed by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health.  During a recent meeting with Urban and his mother at the Prime Minister's Office, the Prime Minister emphasised that stories like Urban's serve as a reminder of the importance of investing in knowledge and research, as this enables us to provide children with rare diseases with a better and higher quality of life.