The UP Faculty of Management was proud to host a guest lecturer in the framework of the GOST UP project - Visiting Foreign Experts and Higher Education Teachers at the University of Primorska between May 8 to May 19, 2023. With us was Dr. Biljana Viduka, SPESCOM Consulting in Fakulteta za projektni in inovacijski management Beograd, Srbija.

Biljana Viduka, Ph.D., is the owner of SPESCOM Consulting, a company that provides new and existing support to organizations with a wide range of business solutions, and an associate professor at the Faculty of Project and innovation management in Belgrade. Her research interests include entrepreneurship, the education process, and public, private, and civil sector cooperation in the European integration process. Expert professional in business consulting, development of the organization, planning and executing strategies, and experience in organizing teams and establishing partnerships. She is focused on developing business ideas, market strategies, and support for the internationalization of business. In the last 15 years successfully educated, consulted, and mentored over 150 companies/organizations in various sectors. Participated as an expert in several projects to strengthen capacities, and support the development and internationalization of companies/organization in different sectors in Serbia and Croatia.

During her visit to UP FM, she was teaching the course Entrepreneurial society in the master’s degree programme in Management. Dr. Viduka wrote about her experience as follows:

»During May 2023, I had the opportunity to be a visiting professor in the Master's program course Entrepreneurial society at the Faculty of Management in Koper. It was impressive to find such a well organized and supportive educational environment.

Working with a small group of students from different countries, we discussed various topics such as entrepreneurial society, entrepreneurial institutional culture, entrepreneurial university, entrepreneurial competencies, different models of stakeholder collaboration, and types of support for the development of entrepreneurial ventures. It was fascinating to explore the entrepreneurial ecosystems in their home countries together, analyze their successes, differences, and discuss possibilities for improvement. On this journey, we all learned more about the history, economy, policy framework, education system, the position of youth, and entrepreneurial opportunities in their respective countries. We also gained insights into the ambitions and plans of the students after completing their education.

By discussing case studies and utilizing various theories, concepts, and models, we examined examples of collaboration aimed at fostering entrepreneurial ecosystems in EU countries, non-EU countries, and the USA.

At the end, I must mention that Koper left a wonderful impression on me as a beautiful multicultural town with diverse amenities, traces of history at every step, combined with a touch of modernity and warm and hospitable people.

I have enjoyed my time in Koper, and I am grateful to management of the Faculty and professor Mevlja as well as master students for welcoming me and giving me the opportunity to teach and to participate in their day-to-day life.« 

The project is co-financed by the Republic of Slovenia and the European Union from the European Social Fund.