ENABLING INNOVATION
Technologies – Ecosystems – Investments
6th March 2026
Photos: Barbara Reya
Preface and concept
The 12th edition of the Italian Business Forum (IBF), promoted by the Italian-Slovenian Forum and its partners: Embassy of the Republic of Italy in Slovenia, Italian Trade Agency (ITA), Italian Cultural Institute and Confindustria Slovenia, this time enjoys the initiative of yet another partner: University of Ljubljana, School of Economics and Business, who is at the same time the host of the event. Thanks to a long-term mutual engagement among this prestigious academic and research institution with the Italian firms and the Forum itself a joint ambition arises to expose best practices in the domain of deep tech innovation, among which many are shared between the two countries in the focus: Italy and Slovenia, and to share common challenges and discuss solutions which are being laid out in one or another institutional and business environment with a common goal: to mutually enrich the competencies and support each other on the common path of cooperation to increase the innovativeness, competitiveness and resilience of our economies – and of the European economy and Europe as a whole.
The main topic of the 12th IBF is, once more, centred on innovation. This time, we are exploring aspects of innovation enablers both from within the innovative enterprises and from the outside, in their business environment. We are searching for composite solutions designed in a form of societal and business concepts and contexts, created to create a sustained impact: to significantly increase innovation capacity and turn it into a shared opportunity for the many.
A comprehensive research work accomplished by the School of Economics and Business’s highly-ranked IMB programme1, titled: Exploring the Growth Potential of Deep Tech and Other Emerging Technologies in Slovenia, published in a homonymous book2 (Finance, November 2025) provided a bedrock for the joint ambition of the organisers to develop this prestigious event and invite prominent speakers from the academia, industries and financial institutions to create a unique dialogue about innovation enablers. A comprehensive case study demonstrating a pioneering pathway accomplished by Aquafil, a global innovation leader seated in Arco, close to Trento in Italy, and with a significant presence in Slovenia, inspired the desire to create this event. It is a unique opportunity to cherish this unique experience and deepen the accumulated knowledge as well as to share the learnings from their extraordinary achievement. So have been several other protagonists, some of them addressed in the IMB research, demonstrating through their own experience how to leverage upon innovation enablers and sometimes create them.
Once more, let the research work done by IMB students and their mentors serve as a guide to many others seasoned innovators and aspired ones to further release both, extraordinary innovation potential and to further tighten the collaboration between Italy and Slovenia.
Participation, registration to matchmaking sessions
More than 120 participants are expected to take part at the at the event which will take place at the Blue Hall of the School of Economics and Business in Kardeljeva ploscad 17 in Ljubljana. The participation is free of charge until the fulfilment of available seats, therefore the registration is compulsory.
Individuals and firms are kindly invited to register for the event by clicking on the button below.
Any further request or questions regarding the Italian Business Forum and Research Day are welcome at: info@forumitaslo.eu.
[1] The research work has been partly financed by Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (ARIS) grants O7-50185 “Uvajanje prebojnih tehnologij v slovenskih podjetjih: Izzivi in priložnosti”, V5-24020“.
[2] Domadenik Muren Polona, Matjaž Koman, Tjaša Redek: Exploring the Growth Potential of Deep Tech and Other Emerging Technologies in Slovenia. Časnik Finance, Ljubljana, November 2025).
