The Public Agency for Technology of the Republic of Slovenia dr. Marta Svetina, director CLUSTERS 2006, Breakout session: Linking Innovation Agencies Lyon, France, 11th October 2006
Topics of presentation 1. Slovenian strategic challenges 2. Slovenian Technology Agency 3. Programs and best practices
SLOVENIA S STRATEGIC CHALLENGES Slovenia as an EU member has to reconsider its strategic position within a broader global framework. It must identify its existing weaknesses and development opportunities and respond to them with an appropriate strategy. Slovenia must find ways to achieve its national goals in a sustainable way and in line with the common European regulations, policies and strategies, primarily the revised Lisbon Strategy. We must find answers to the questions of how to speed up Slovenia s economic development within the EU, ensure higher employment and social security, improve the environment, preserve nature and use the natural resources in a sustainable way.
SLOVENIA S Development Strategy (SDS) The answers have been provided by Slovenia s Development Strategy (SDS), a document adopted by the Government of the Republic of Slovenia in June 2005, setting out the vision and priorities of Slovenia s development. The SDS focuses not only on economic issues but also on social, environmental, political, legal and cultural matters. Due to such a prioritisation of the objectives, the SDS also serves as Slovenia s strategy of sustainable development. At the same time, it integrates the Lisbon goals within the national setting, bearing in mind Slovenia s specific development opportunities and setbacks.
The Public Agency for Technology Development of the Republic of Slovenia As the reaction of the state to the problematic economic situation and to the fact that there are no efficient mechanisms to improve the conditions in the field of the technological development, the Government decided to establish the Public Agency for Technology Development of the Republic of Slovenia (TIA). TIA represents the central mechanism for promotion of the technological development in Slovenia. The Public Agency for Technology Development of Slovenia is the implementation institution with the task to carry out the technological development policy of the Government of Slovenia. At the same time, the Agency also plays an active role in creating the proposals of the programs.
Foundation Slovenian Technology Agency was founded by the Government of Republic of Slovenia on the basis of the Foundation Resolution (Official Gazette num. 12/2004) to implement specific tasks defined by the law which complies with the public interests and further to ensure enduring expert and independent implementation of the measures in order to support technological development and innovation financed by the state budget as well as by other sources of financial means. At the end of 2005 TIA began with main activities.
Roadmap of TIA STATE SMEs HT companies Large companies Technology platforms INDUSTRY JAPTI Technology parks Technology centres Government Ministries: MF MO MG MVZT SVR Structural funds BUSINESS WORLD SZF INSTITUTIONS OF KNOWLEDGE ARRS IRC Ad Futura Centres of excellence Universities Instituts Inventors Incubators Bussiness funds Business angels Risk funds Banks Insurance corporations
Tasks of the agency Slovenian Technology Agency carries out the expert development and executive tasks which are supposed to advance the technological development and innovation in accordance with the adopted national research and development programme and other national programmes supporting enterprises and competition. The main task of TIA is to support and encourage the development of the economy by offering financial support through technology programmes to the development, research and innovative projects of the companies, especially those which are cooperating with the institutions of knowledge and with other companies in Slovenia and abroad.
PURPOSES 1 1. The main purpose of its activity is to use and to link the industry and scientific potentials of Slovenia and to direct it into the intensive and permanent economic development in order to increase the common welfare of Slovene inhabitants. 2. The basic purpose of TIA is to accelerate the competition of the Slovenian industry and the business sphere by supporting the development and realization of the world technologies and the application of knowledge. 3. The activities of TIA are directed towards the creation of a high added value of the companies, which could attribute with their innovative and competitive approach to the creation of new production structures and business services; the result of these activities is the creation of new working places.
PURPOSES 2 1. A special emphases is put on the flexibility of the agency activity and on the continuous cooperation of TIA with the companies in all phases of the project. 2. TIA also enables searching for the additional EU financial means for the companies and it simplifies the access to these means; at the same time it also encourages the domestic co-financing ( bank credits, guarantees, risk capital). 3. The goal of the agency is also the innovativeness of the working methods which is the guide line of all activities of TIA. The personnel with the broad spectrum of the academic and applicable knowledge is using successful international methods to prepare the technologicaldevelopment and other encouragement programs for the companies. These methods are creatively enriched by specific features and needs of the Slovenian economy spheres.
Technology and innovation programmes for growth of the economy Co-financing of R&D and innovative projects of companies, which indicate: high technologies, new or considerably improved technology processes, services and products, innovations, cooperation with institutions of knowledge and between companies, international cooperation, high added value, new jobs, environmental acceptability.
Vision Vision of the TIA is to become the agency which could have a decisive impact on the goals of the national development and at the same time it could play an important role in the international network of the agencies. The role of the TIA in the future: central institution for promotion of the technological development of Slovenia, central public and financial expert institution for technology, implementing institution for economic development policy of the Government of Slovenia, policy maker with the role of an implementing institution in the field of directing the technological development.
Thank you for your attention.