EUTOPIA Innovation Challenge week in Ljubljana, Slovenia

The partnering network EUTOPIA organized an Innovation Challenge week in Slovenia hosted by University of Ljubljana from Oct 14-17.

The week was full of workshops about the diffusion of innovation University of Ljubljana, School of Economics and Business and Univerza v Mariboru, company visits to Lisjak (olive oil mill) and Hidria in Koper, to Marles in Maribor, networking activities in and around the city of Ljubljana. Dr. Christoph Scope took part for the professorship.

Above all, main task was to develop ideas and project plans for challenges faced by these 3 companies. That included sustainability issues. Together with Mario De Simone, Carlos J. S. Moreira, Derya Kaya Özdemir, Dudu Adrian - a plan to address the needs of MATEJ LISJAK was developed - we're looking forward to use this fruitful conversation and exchange in his olive oil mill in Koper as the start of a European research project with selected EUTOPIA partner universities. The content of the research project is the investigation of possible circular utilization paths for biomass waste in olive oil production. As of December 2024, we have received samples of olive press cake and leaves and will examine them in laboratories.

Besides, there have been plenty of opportunities to network with among others:  Blaž Zupan, Laura Carnieletto, Aditya Singh, Alice Golisano, Lahoucine Ouhsaine, Irinej Papuga, Raluca A Mereu, Ekaterina Markelova, Ph.D., Vesna Zabkar, Enej Gradišek, Mario De Simone, Carlos J. S. Moreira, Derya Kaya Özdemir, Dudu Adrian...

We gratefully thank all organizers of the Innovation Challenge - above all Simona Rataj, Jelena Ličanin, and Blaž Zupan. We also thank Harald Schraeder and Franziska F. from Technische Universität Dresden for their support.