The programme included adopting a constitutional document,
electing the members of the Council, confirming the work programme and
passing the annual financial plan.

Today, the Slovenian Innovation Hub was established by AmCham
Slovenija, BTC Company, DOBA Faculty of Applied Business and Social
studies, Public Company ELES, EN-FIST Centre of Excellence, Gorenje
Company, Jožef Stefan Institute, National Institute of Chemistry
Slovenia, Krka Company, Lek Company, City Municipality of Ljubljana,
National Institute of Biology, Nova Ljubljanska Banka bank, Slovenian
Tool and Die Development Centre TECOS, Riko Company, Regional
Development Agency of the Ljubljana Urban Region, Slovene Export and
Development Bank SID, Slovenian Business & Research Association,
Špica International, Technology Park Ljubljana, Telekom Slovenije
Company, Trimo Company, and University of Ljubljana.

The co-founders of the Slovenian Innovation Hub elected the members
of the Council: Jadran Lenarčič, PhD, Director of Jožef Stefan
Institute,Tamara Turnšek Lah, PhD, Director of National Institute of
Biology, Ivan Svetlik, PhD, Rector of the University of Ljubljana, Zoran
Jankovič, Mayor of the City Municipality of Ljubljana, Sibil Svilan,
MSc, President of the SID Bank Management Board, Lilijana Madjar, MSc,
Director of the Regional Development Agency of the Ljubljana Urban
Region, Franc Malis, Head of Organisation, Development and New Media
Sector at the BTC Company, Boštjan Pečnik, Executive Director for
Development at the Gorenje Company, and Darja Ferčej Temeljotov, PhD,
Head of Innovation and Continuous Improvement at the Lek Company.

In their work programme the co-founders committed themselves to
present concrete developmental projects of partners and create value
chains as well as to be actively involved and co-operate in the
preparations of Slovenia’s long-term programmes.  
A comprehensive
analysis of the current situation at the University, in companies and on
the state level has shown that the size of the Slovenian economy and
its distinct fragmentation present one of the most demanding challenges
for a successful knowledge transfer and the realisation of good ideas.
That is why the idea of a Slovenian hub of innovations is primarily
based on integration – the integration of research and developmental
groups from different institutions and companies into a group that
reaches a critical mass, the integration of companies into a group that
is able to organise and realise a project, and the integration of
different financing sources on a scale that ensures the realisation of a
project and its survival during the most critical stages of its
formation.
The most successful countries are focusing all their
efforts on strengthening their innovation capabilities, adopting the
necessary strategies and successfully carrying out the measures
important for realising their goals. For instance, the German government
adopted a resolution last December to extend the “Excellence
Initiative” even after 2017, for which it initially assigned 4.6 billion
Euros for a period of ten years. In June 2013, the Japanese government
adopted a directive of becoming “the most innovation-friendly country in
the world”. With this goal in mind, the country set out to achieve
joint investments in research and development at the level of 4 % of GDP
(currently surpassed only by Israel, with Nordic countries at the level
of 3 % and the European average at 2 %). Korea, the most successful
knowledge-based economy according to many indicators, has also set a
high goal of 4 % of GDP when it comes to investing into research and
development activities.

It is known that in recent years this percentage has been dropping in
Slovenia, with a major problem being the fragmentation of our research
and developmental capabilities, which also presents impairment in
achieving international excellence. What should be created are the
conditions for the effective encouragement of creativity, innovations
and entrepreneurship.

Therefore, the newly established Slovenian Innovation Hub will
operate foremost as a connection and encouragement for the developmental
and research teams in the academic and business spheres. As part of the
priority areas of Slovenian Smart Specialisation Strategy, the Hub will
help elucidate the capabilities and plan projects that will build on
the already achieved and developing areas of excellent knowledge and
technologies with a goal of developing and launching new products and
services in Slovenia as well as abroad, ensuring new job positions with a
high level of added value and encouraging the establishment of new
companies. The primary goal is to contribute to the development of
knowledge-based economy and to raise Slovenia’s international
competitiveness.
The Innovation Hub will stand for all innovation
factors and will emphasize the modernisation and elaboration of our
support system (already in September there will be a consultation
organised) as well as a link between similar innovation teams and the
centres of excellence in the wider region and across the world. The Hub
will also assist in gathering financial resources needed for the
realisation of individual projects.

The Hub is not merely one in a row of countless institutions but a
true core of efforts and integration. It will incorporate only 2 or 3
people, whose expenses will be covered by the membership fees of the
members of the Hub. Partners will manage all the projects and will among
themselves select a coordinator, as well as reach independent decisions
whether and which services the team at the Hub’s office could provide
for them.
The next step after today’s assembly will be acquiring the
consent from the Government of the Republic of Slovenia (necessary for
all public research organisations and institutes) and forming a European
Economic Interest Grouping.

In its first year, the Hub will operate as a virtual community of
research, development and financial institutions and companies. On the
basis of the previously acquired knowledge and market interests of
companies, there will be initiatives for projects that after detailed
analyses will be restructured into independent projects with
transparently defined goals, own management and finances. The Hub will
therefore perform tasks, best defined by the name itself – it will
catalyse the integration, define common interests, catalyse the forming
of independent projects and mediate the search for financial resources
as well as overcome the superfluous administrative or legislative
obstacles.