STEP at the 2025 Slovenian Industrial Forum: high ambitions for industrial transformation

STEP was successfully kicked off in Slovenia at the 2025 Slovenian Industrial Forum, an important milestone for Slovenia's tech future. Held on 14 January in Ljubljana, the conference, organised by the Ministry of Economy, Tourism and Sport and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, saw a dynamic gathering of Slovenian tech companies, startups, and government officials. The event celebrated the official launch of the Slovenian own STEP taskforce.

In collaboration with the Slovenian Enterprise Fund, which acts as the National Contact Point for STEP, the conference laid the groundwork for transforming Slovenia's industrial landscape. Under STEP, the Slovenian authorities aim to mobilise up to EUR 100 million of cohesion funding across multiple sectors, including for STEP Seal projects and IPCEI, with over 500 companies expected to benefit.

Matjaž Han, Minister of Economy, made a call for action, emphasising the elevated ambitions for STEP and urging Slovenian businesses to harness its potential to propel technological advancements and increase the value of high-tech products. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry echoed this sentiment, predicting a significant boost to the economy and a potential increase in Slovenia's economic growth by EUR 200 to 300 million.

In his speech, State Secretary Matevž Frangež positioned STEP as a pivotal driver for the transformation of Slovenia's economy. He outlined a robust strategy to harness STEP's potential: Frangež emphasized that, after the initial phase of rallying the STEP team and engaging partners, Slovenia would focus on designing and publicising the first STEP calls alongside hosting promotional workshops. His vision underscored the country's ambition to boost innovation in the region and maximise the impact of STEP, setting a strategic blueprint for economic growth and industrial advancement up to 2029.

In her intervention, Caroline Vandierendonck, Head of the European Commission STEP taskforce, connected the dots between the national ambition and the broader Commission’s objectives, highlighting upcoming EU initiatives like the Competitiveness Compass, the Clean Industrial Act and the Union for Skills that promise to further reinforce the EU's technological and industrial landscape, from which Slovenia stands to benefit. 

The STEP taskforce’s involvement does not conclude with the forum. Moving forward, we have charted an actionable roadmap, including informal consultations on cohesion fund reprogramming, peer practice sharing on designing STEP calls, and facilitating communications regarding upcoming and open STEP calls.