The first prototypes were already turned on on Sunday after several versions started being developed over a week ago, Ljubljana Technology Park director Jernej Pintar said.

The initiative to develop a homegrown ventilator came from the Association for Electrical Engineering and Electronics at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) and SRIP Factories of the Future after doctors said at least another 100 ventilators would be needed if the number of the most seriously ill started rapidly rising.

The initiative is ever more important because delivery times for new ventilators from abroad range from two to four months, which could be too late for the seriously ill.

The groups of engineers from several global companies, UKC Ljubljana hospital doctors, R&R companies and production companies had been pooled by the Technology Park, the GZS, the Jožef Stefan Institute and the Ljubljana Faculty of Electrical Engineering.