FabLab Network Slovenia
About this good practice
Slovenia developed the national reference network FabLab of creative laboratories in
2017 within the framework of the Interreg Europe ERUDITE project. The initiator and
coordinator of the network is the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of
Ljubljana, in cooperation with the Information Society Directorate, Ministry of Public
Administration. The main objective of the network is to recognize and use the
entrepreneurial potential of local communities in Slovenia.
The basic idea is to promote innovation and development of local economy. Some
partners of the network have had long experience in operating within different forms of
entrepreneurship environment. Formation of entrepreneurship is encouraged in all
Slovenian regions.
A number of different organizations have shown their interest in being part of the Network: businesses, schools, development agencies, public and private institutes from all over Slovenia (Ribnica, Ptuj, Kranj, Dravograd, Murska Sobota, Maribor, Žalec, Nova Gorica, Koper, Piran, Trbovlje, Sevnica, Novo mesto and others).
All technological equipment in companies, laboratories, educational institutions that is only rarely used will be listed along with the existing knowledge and competences. The equipment, knowledge and competences in individual laboratories are focused on the field of smart specialization, depending on the needs of companies in the region. When listed, they become accessible to the wider interested public.
Resources needed
App. 20,000 EUR/FabLab is needed for equipment+1 full time job. Additional funding of app. 50,000/year is needed for programmes and mentors.
FNS was funded through EU Projects (LIVERUR, EU Horizon 2020, ERUDITE, Interreg Europe) and the OP for EU Cohesion Policy Implementation 2014-2020 (Slovenia)
Evidence of success
FNS has 80 partners, covering different fields of interest, from policy makers to local communities, regional development agencies, public universities and most importantly 27 existing already running creative hubs all over the country. The public database of FabLab’s existing technical and expertise offer provides 40 training items and, more importantly, 114 high-tech non-trivial equipment items, that are listed to support sharing and, in case of production requirements, renting, etc.
Potential for learning or transfer
The potential for transfer lies in the relative directness of its operations (promotion, coordination, joint project and events) and measures, strengthening the impacts through scaling to more FabLabs and more partners on the national and international level.
A key element required for the potential establishment of a similar network in other regions is the collaboration between various stakeholders such as educational institutions, government bodies (e.g., Ministry of Public Administration), and businesses.
It is also important to encourage the formation of entrepreneurship in all regions by involving various organizations, including businesses, schools, development agencies, and public and private institutes.
By considering these conditions, regions interested in establishing a similar network can learn from the Slovenian example and tailor the approach to suit their local context and needs.
Further information
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Good practice owner
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