A delegation from Azerbaijan visited Slovenia as part of international development cooperation projects
The visit took place from 15 to 19 November 2021 with the support of various Slovenian public and private companies and organizations. The expert visit began at Slovenian Institute for Quality and Metrology (SIQ), where a delegation of 13 start-ups and representatives of the Innovation Agency visited test laboratories and got acquainted with the activities of the institute.
They were received by State Secretary Andrej Čuš Ministry of Economic Development and Technology of the Republic of Slovenia (MEDT) Ministry of Economic Development and Technology (MGRT) the next day. The guests and hosts were also greeted virtually by the project manager Farrukh Alimidjanov from United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). The guests then got acquainted with the activity Slovenian Enterprise Fund (SPS), Public agency SPIRIT Slovenia, in Digital Innovation Center of Slovenia (DIH) and obtain important information on the incentives and support of the Slovenian state for the development of start-up entrepreneurship.
This was followed by visits to good practices of production and service organizations and networking with Slovenian organizations. V Yaskawa Slovenia in Kočevje, they saw the production of industrial robots and v INTEC TIV, production of printed circuit boards. GEOCODIS presented its geoinformation services business, while NETWORKS use of own developed information system.
In Slovenia, technology parks play an important role in the development of the start-up ecosystem, which was excellently presented at Technology Park Ljubljana through success stories and experiences. They exchanged key information on the mechanisms for entering the European market Ljubljana University Incubator (LUI), Sežana incubator, in Coastal Technology Park.
Slovenia is recognized as a tourist destination. A piece of our heritage was presented to our guests at Slovenian Ethnographic Museum, while part of our history was revealed to them on Ljubljana Castle. They also visited Bled, one of the most beautiful Slovenian tourist destinations. The Tourist Information Center (TIC) Bled presented the strategy of sustainable development of Bled tourism. They were met at the castle by the mayor, who took them through the milestones of Bled’s history with a picturesque presentation. In the beautiful nature of the village Ribno they walked around Cycling village in the company of the owner Hotel & Glamping Ribno Bled, holder of the Zero Waste Hotel certificate, and learn about the story of their family business.
Despite the crowded agenda, we managed to find time to network. The exchange of good practices in the form of study visits plays an important role in the development of the innovation and start-up ecosystem and in creating opportunities for economic cooperation between the two countries.
We thank all the participating Slovenian organizations for the implementation of a very demanding professional program, and especially the project partners: Slovenian Institute for Quality and Metrology (SIQ) in Technology Park Ljubljana, and, of course UNIDO for technical support of the project. Together we co-create success stories of UNIDO projects and contribute to the development of other regions with the knowledge and experience we have in Slovenia, which we at UNIDO always recognize, that together we realize our development mission.