For more than 4 years, the Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency has been developing its own in-house platform under the name of SARIO Innovation Services, which serves to connect Slovak technology and innovation companies with large companies at home and abroad.
The aim of innovation services is to systematically support investors with an emphasis on technological innovations and support for the introduction of processes related to Industry 4.0, while striving for an increasing involvement of local technology companies in the supply chains of domestic and foreign companies.
The reasons that led SARIO to create this platform have become more and more important over the past years. In particular:
- Scaling up of successful technological solutions “Made in Slovakia” within the supply structures of major (mainly foreign) companies;
- Increasingly greater purchasing (procurement) competences of foreign companies established in Slovakia;
- The overall growing interest in the topic of Industry 4.0;
- Increased inflows of capital-intensive, high value-added investments.
The main linking tool within SARIO’s innovation services are tailor-made innovation seminars and workshops (recently also virtual). They focus on improving and refining various in-house processes, especially in Slovakia but also abroad, and serve as a business channel for Slovak technology solution providers.
The most common topics and areas in which companies are looking for new innovative solutions include automation, robotization and digitalization of production or logistics, single-purpose machines and equipment, predictive maintenance, quality control, sensors, virtual or augmented reality or complex IT solutions in the areas of cybersecurity, artificial intelligence or cloud technologies. SARIO has a database of more than 300 Slovak technology companies that offer innovative solutions in the above-mentioned areas, and this database is constantly updated and expanded.
The process of finding a suitable solution starts with the identification of the client’s priority areas of interest, to which SARIO reflects in a short time with a list of suitable Slovak technology companies operating in the defined areas. This is followed by a selection process, during which the client selects a shortlist of companies whose solutions and representatives he or she would like to get to know better, based on various criteria and preferences. SARIO consultants will then prepare a dedicated innovation event, ideally at the client’s premises, which will be attended by representatives of the selected companies.
In this or similar fashion, SARIO has organised 30 innovation events in 4 years, involving 171 presentations by more than 90 innovative companies from Slovakia, which means that many of them participated in several events and presented their solutions to several clients. From the above, SARIO has so far recorded up to 69 follow-up meetings and 15 pilot innovation projects, where it was thanks to this platform that a Slovak company was awarded a contract by a client. Understandably, it is possible and probable that these innovation seminars have also brought other business opportunities, contacts or synergies.
If you are interested in SARIO’s innovation services and would like to get involved, either as a potential client or as a provider of innovative solutions, please do not hesitate to contact us at innovate@sario.sk
