The Slovenian Technology Forum is an economic interest group of high-tech, export-oriented, fast-growing companies with above-average value added per employee.
The vision of the association is to promote Slovenia’s future as a legal, green, social society and a country in which the economy is a key link in ensuring social well-being by creating quality jobs and employee participation in the ownership of companies.
In its first twenty years, Slovenia has gone through three very difficult transitions – socio-economic (globalisation of capitalism), technological (informatization) and political (democracy).
We believe that the results have been largely positive, with few mistakes that are being addressed. The last ten years have been largely lost in terms of efforts to bring about a technological breakthrough in the Slovenian economy because these three transitions have come to an end. This has caused political instability, while at the same time the international financial crisis and the epidemic have shown that the old development model is not reliable, stable or sustainable.
We believe that we are at a critical point in the development of society where it is all or nothing. Over the next two decades, up to 2040, we have two main tasks as a society: to protect the planet and to ensure the conditions for sustainable economic growth, social welfare and the welfare state.
All stakeholders in society need to ask themselves how they serve one or both of these objectives. Businesses can play their part in saving the planet through technological innovation, by raising awareness of the importance of sustainable development through their own activities and by developing sustainable products and services. The welfare and social state are threatened due to several factors:
• The general government deficit caused by an ageing population. Our role here is to increase value added, which in turn will provide more social services from the government.
• The consequences of globalisation. The Western world makes it easy for knowledge and capital to move freely around the world. Slovenia must remain an attractive destination for both capital and labour by stimulating and facilitating the inflow of capital and people from abroad, and by stimulating citizens and domestic capital to stay at home.
• Pressure on society from migrations from the Global South, either as a result of climate change or political conflicts. The Slovenian economy must be able to absorb productive newcomers and provide them with a decent and productive life.
• The next industrial revolution will be driven by the introduction of artificial intelligence into creative processes in all industries. This opens up new opportunities, but also means an even greater concentration of capital and power in the current centres of the technological world.
• The consequences of globalisation. The Western world makes it easy for knowledge and capital to move freely around the world. Slovenia must remain an attractive destination for both capital and labour by stimulating and facilitating the inflow of capital and people from abroad, and by stimulating citizens and domestic capital to stay at home.
• Pressure on society from migrations from the Global South, either as a result of climate change or political conflicts. The Slovenian economy must be able to absorb productive newcomers and provide them with a decent and productive life.
• The next industrial revolution will be driven by the introduction of artificial intelligence into creative processes in all industries. This opens up new opportunities, but also means an even greater concentration of capital and power in the current centres of the technological world.
We are gathering as companies and entrepreneurs who want to constructively participate in the development plans and activities of the state and society because in 20 years we still want to live in Slovenia, which has enabled us to build our own entrepreneurial stories. At the same time, we are aware that, due to external factors, Slovenia will look completely different then than it did in our youth.
We are not coming together to maximise our short-term profits or to solve our day-to-day operational obstacles. We want to constructively participate in shaping the future social order.
The values that have brought us together and will continue to guide us at the Slovenian Technology Forum are economic growth and progress, social welfare, the rule of law, social security, a supportive business environment, the creation of high added value, free entrepreneurial initiative and the promotion of investment in high-tech companies.
