Slovenian Academic Community for Freezing Cooperation of Israeli Universities in EU Programs

Ljubljana – The University of Ljubljana will not participate in project consortia involving Israeli universities and institutions until further notice, as decided by the university’s senate in the Slovenian capital. They have called on the EU to suspend the collaboration of Israeli universities and institutions in European research and development programs. The Chemical and Pedagogical Institutes have also joined this call.

The University of Ljubljana and its members will not enter into project consortia involving Israeli universities and other Israeli institutions until the decision is revoked, the senators concluded. In this context, the senate again urges the government to establish a scholarship fund for Palestinian students who wish to study at the University of Ljubljana.

According to the rector of the University of Ljubljana Gregor Majdič, there are currently a small number of projects underway, none of which specifically involve Israel. He highlighted a project from the medical faculty, which involves several institutions from Europe and is aimed at mutual information on infectious diseases.

The rector of the University of Primorska Klavdija Kutnar stated that the university, located in the southwest of the country, currently has one active project that includes an Israeli university. According to her, the project will conclude in December, and they will not enter into new project applications with Israeli partners.

The rector of the University of Maribor Zdravko Kačič reiterated that the university in northeastern Slovenia has no direct collaboration with Israel. Recently, several dozen members of the university’s academic community called on Kačič to terminate cooperation with Israeli institutions and to open study places for Palestinian students. They followed the example of their colleagues from Ljubljana.

They have also committed not to collaborate with Israeli institutions at the Chemical Institute and the Pedagogical Institute. Both Slovenian institutes have called on the EU to terminate the collaboration of Israeli universities and other institutions in European research, development, and innovation programs. (August 18 – 21)