UnicornQuest | Exploring innovation in Slovakia DAY 1
The consortium partners and local stakeholders participated in a highly informative two-day event in Bratislava where they had the opportunity to acquaint themselves with the Slovak ecosystem and get to know innovative startups.
The initial day (21.03.2024) unfolded at the premises of the Slovak Innovation and Energy Agency. SIEA in Bratislava, serving as the host partner, provided a concise overview of the agenda and objectives of the 3rd Interregional Learning Event. Mr. Peter Adamovský, Project Manager in the Section of Innovation and International Relations at SIEA, extended a warm welcome to the participants and introduced key stakeholders from Slovakia. This was followed by welcoming speeches from Mr. Martin Svoboda, Director of the Section of Innovation and International Relations at SIEA, and Mr. Soumodip Sarkar, the lead partner of PACT.
Slovak stakeholders showcased their initiatives
Mrs. Katarína Sidorová, representing the Slovak Business Agency, highlighted the institution's primary services, expertise areas, international projects, and its role in the Enterprise Europe Network, which aids innovative SMEs with global aspirations.
Following her, Mr. Vladimír Tanistrák from the Ministry of Economy of the Slovak Republic elucidated Slovakia's approach to innovation and startup policies. Despite the absence of a specific strategy for startups within the national framework, he explained how Act No. 290/2016 Coll. indirectly addresses startup support within the context of small and medium-sized enterprises. Mr. Tanistrák also presented the support of start-ups in Slovakia.
Concluding this segment, Mr. Michal Körmendi from the Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency (SARIO) outlined SARIO's mission, including investor support, foreign trade facilitation, and innovation sourcing. He also highlighted key sectors of the Slovak economy, such as automotive, machinery, electronics, ICT, and business services.
During the second block of the agenda, partners engaged in discussions regarding project management tasks and provided updates on the Forest Assessment, sparking a fruitful discussion and Q&A session. Due to time constraints, the discussion continued on the following day as per the agenda.
Visiting a 'Soonicorn'
Following the morning sessions, participants embarked on a bus journey to visit InoBat, a local 'soonicorn', where they were greeted by Mr. Marián Boček, the Executive Director of InoBat. Located in Voderady, Slovakia, InoBat specializes in groundbreaking research, development, manufacturing, and supply of high-quality innovative electric batteries tailored to the specific needs of global mainstream and specialist Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) in automotive, commercial vehicle, motorsport, and aerospace sectors. The UnicornQuest partners and stakeholders were afforded the unique opportunity to tour InoBat, home to Slovakia's first battery line spanning a distance of 24,169 kilometres. InoBat's journey began with a simple sketch on a napkin and a vision to establish Slovakia as a prominent player in the realm of electromobility on a global scale. Leveraging its "C2C" circular value chain, the company offers innovative solutions across the entire value chain, fortified by a robust consortium of strategic investors and partners.
Following the insightful visit to InoBat, the participants boarded a bus to attend the Consortium meeting and case study presentation at Nádvorie Trnava.
CASE workshop
Mr. Americo Mateus, the expert of the Harvard Case Method, led the workshop, kicking off with an introduction to the proceedings. The first segment of the presentation featured regional case presentations, allowing attendees to delve into specific examples. This was followed by an interactive question and answer session. As a nexzt step the regional case studies were presented by the participants: KNOKcare, Yobbers, HIRO ROBOTICS, s.r.I., HOODLIE s.r.I., TACKPAY s.r.I., Adventrum Tech, Spirocco Ltd., NanoCleanWorld, and REYOUZZ.
