On Thursday, 4 June 2026, the 25th anniversary edition of the international scientific conference MIC 2026 officially commenced at the Faculty of Management of the University of Primorska. This year’s conference is held under the theme “Bridging Gaps, Building Futures: Business and Policy in a Complex World.”

The conference has attracted 130 participants from more than 25 countries, with 100 participants presenting their research papers. In addition to the Faculty of Management of the University of Primorska, this year’s conference is co-organized by the Department of Economics, Business, Mathematics and Statistics (DEAMS) of the University of Trieste and the Knowledge Development and Transfer Centre of the UP Faculty of Management.

The morning programme featured parallel paper presentation sessions covering topics such as digitalisation, innovation, the green transition, economics, education, sustainability, entrepreneurship, finance, and management. These sessions generated engaging discussions, exchanges of ideas, and numerous opportunities for future research collaboration.

The official opening ceremony followed, with welcoming addresses delivered by the Conference Chair, Associate Professor Ana Grdović Gnip, PhD, the Dean of the UP Faculty of Management, Professor Tatjana Horvat, PhD, and Professor Giorgio Valentinuzzi from the University of Trieste’s Department of Economics, Business, Mathematics and Statistics (DEAMS).

As part of the 25th anniversary celebration of the MIC Conference, three special recognitions were presented to individuals whose long-standing dedication and significant contributions have helped shape the conference’s development, international reputation, and continued success. The awards were presented to Senior Lecturer Suzana Sedmak, Professor Štefan Bojnec, PhD, and Alen Ježovnik.

Following the opening ceremony, participants attended a keynote lecture entitled “Supporting Policies for Entrepreneurship and SMEs: Lessons from Evaluation Research,” delivered by Dr Ondřej Dvouletý from the Faculty of Business Administration at the Prague University of Economics and Business, Czech Republic. In his presentation, he highlighted the importance of high-quality evaluation of entrepreneurship and SME support policies, introduced various methodological approaches to assessing their impacts, and emphasized the value of collaboration among researchers, evaluators, and policymakers in evidence-based decision-making.

The roundtable discussion “Implementing the European Green Deal in Ports: Balancing between Sustainability and Economic Reality?” brought together representatives from the port and logistics sectors to discuss the challenges of implementing the European Green Deal within port environments. The panel featured Franka Cepak, Head of Health Protection and Ecology and Environmental Manager at Luka Koper; Vittorio Torbianelli, Secretary General of the Eastern Adriatic Sea Port Authority; and Francesco Parisi, Director of the Francesco Parisi Group. The discussion highlighted the importance of balancing environmental objectives, economic competitiveness, and the interests of local communities, while stressing the need for cooperation among ports, logistics companies, local authorities, and national institutions in developing financially sustainable solutions for the green transition of ports.

The day concluded with the conference dinner at the Regional Museum of Koper, providing participants with an opportunity for informal networking, the establishment of new professional connections, and the strengthening of international cooperation.

The conference will continue over the coming days with scientific paper presentations, discussions, and the exchange of best practices among participants from around the world.

The conference was also supported by two business partners: Luka Koper and Atlantic Grupa’s Barcaffè brand.

MIC 4. 6. 2026