A roundtable discussion titled Collaboration in Innovation and Entrepreneurship took place on Tuesday, April 21, at the Faculty of Management of the University of Primorska. The event was organized as part of Sustainability Week and under the BIKE-HEI project. It brought together representatives from academia, business, and public administration to reflect on past achievements and explore future opportunities for strengthening cooperation in developing the region’s entrepreneurial and innovation potential.
The discussion gathered prominent members of the local community, including university leaders, business representatives, and other organizations. The session was moderated by Prof. Dr. Simona Kustec, Head of the Knowledge Transfer and Development Center at the University of Primorska. Among the speakers were Rector Prof. Dr. Klavdija Kutnar, Mayor of the Municipality of Koper Aleš Bržan, Robert Rakar (Director of the Primorska Chamber of Commerce), Sergej Pinter (Director of the Regional Chamber of Craft and Small Business Koper), Matej Osenar (HR representative from Luka Koper), Dr. Jure Vajs (Lek d.d.), Nassim Djaba (Social Impact Hub Istria), Dr. Črtomir Tavzes (InnoRenew CoE), Luka Jeraša (Hotel Koper), and young entrepreneur Urška Orel Bernetič.
Mayor Bržan emphasized that the Municipality of Koper actively supports innovation through projects, competitions, and investments, while also highlighting the of lack of physical infrastructure or premises for business and innovation development. Nassim Djaba stressed the importance of connecting all regional stakeholders, noting that only through collaboration can a strong environment for social innovation be created.
Robert Rakar pointed out that innovation depends on three key types of capital: human, financial, and knowledge capital, provided largely by universities. While these elements exist, stronger integration between them is still needed in the future.
Participants shared their experiences and examples of good practice, highlighting the need to further strengthen the support environment for innovation, foster entrepreneurship, and create more opportunities for young people. Matej Osenar, representative of Luka Koper, the largest economic entity in the region, emphasized that the company collaborates closely with the university, particularly in the field of human resources through student work, scholarships, and internships. He noted that there is still significant potential to expand cooperation in these areas.
Dr. Jure Vajs from Lek highlighted that innovation lies at the very core of the company’s operations. Employees are actively encouraged to innovate, as innovation is what enables the company to exist, grow, and develop. Without it, the company’s success stories would not exist and would quickly be overtaken by competitors. Partnerships play a key role in this process, as Lek has established agreements with all Slovenian public universities and research institutes. In Slovenia, innovation thrives when supported by a stimulating environment. However, cooperation with universities currently takes place mainly in the area of human resources, and the company would like to see more joint projects in the future.
Rector Prof. Dr. Klavdija Kutnar emphasized that the university encourages students to acquire knowledge in entrepreneurship and innovation through academic courses and various training opportunities. She also expressed the ambition for the university to play an even stronger role in fostering innovation in the wider region. Within its study programs, the university is continuously increasing the scope of practical training, as certain competencies can only be meaningfully developed by involving students in real work environments during their studies. She added: “I believe we have made important progress in strengthening our ties with the local environment and already have examples of successful stories. I hope there will be even more of these in the future and that the final step in Slovenian legislation will be taken to allow universities to establish companies. At the same time, we hope for the support of the local environment so that our start-ups can remain and grow in the region.”
The discussion also addressed how to improve conditions for the development of new ideas and their successful implementation in the economy. Sergej Pinter, Director of the Koper Regional Chamber of Craft and Small Business, emphasized that motivation is at the heart of innovation, but that the main challenge in the local environment is the lack of suitable premises where successful innovations could be scaled and industrialized. He stressed the importance of creating an environment that would once again motivate young people and encourage them to innovate.
Particular attention was also given to the need to balance the promotion of innovation with the provision of a stable and predictable environment that supports sustainable development and strengthens competitiveness at both the regional and broader levels. Robert Rakar pointed out that Slovenia has a relatively well-developed support environment for innovators, offering extensive mentoring and incentives, something only a few European countries can match. Elsewhere, young people are often left to rely on their own savings and investors. Nevertheless, he noted that Slovenia still struggles to compete with global innovation hubs such as Berlin or Singapore. To improve competitiveness, it would be necessary to ensure a stable environment and appropriate conditions that would also attract foreign innovators to develop and commercialize their ideas in Slovenia, while further refining them to a high level of quality.
The discussion also touched on concrete measures for fostering innovation within organizations. Dr. Vajs highlighted that Lek now has its seventh generation of a “young board,” which works closely with company leadership on innovation practices. One notable innovation addressing parking challenges near the company was the introduction of a car-sharing application.
The roundtable once again confirmed that collaboration between universities, businesses, and the wider community is essential for regional development and for strengthening competitiveness both locally and beyond.
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