SAPIE Forum 2023 - Looking back to the 2nd day
The first day of the SAPIE Forum was mostly about global issues and best practices as well as inspiration from the CEE region that could improve Slovakia's position in adopting and profiting from digital technologies. The second day of the SAPIE Forum narrowed the focus on Slovakia and the specific problems and challenges of the local innovation ecosystem.
Innovations
Jaroslav Bukovina, Business analyst, VAIA, considers innovations a necessity if Slovakia wants to close the gap on Western countries, and the only path towards a sustainable increase in life quality. In addition, a successful innovative ecosystem translates into more public funds which can be used to support other meaningful policies. However, Vlastimil Kocian, CEO, Inovia, pointed out, many Slovak entrepreneurs still don't understand the potential and importance of innovations. This needs to change. Speakers stressed the importance of communicating the topic to the general public, which may create more demand for innovative solutions and called for a more transparent and data-based model of developing the Slovak innovation ecosystem from the top. They miss a long-term vision with efficient financing and clear evaluation guidelines, such as the Austrian model. Vlastimil Kocian argued for a less centralized approach, with well-developed regional innovation centers. The example of Brno and its huge success provides sufficient motivation and inspiration.
Artificial intelligence (AI)
Companies misunderstand the concept of digitalization. AI may be very successful at making the company more efficient and better-functioning but the implementation requires a clear long-term strategy and a considerable budget. Ondřej Ferdus, Confederation of Industry CZ & AI Check.tech, noted that digital transformation is simply a must, and the recent developments concerning generative AI have only amplified this trend.
Smart cities
The panel took a closer look at how Slovak cities are using the potential of smart solutions. Peter Fiabáne, The mayor of the City of Žilina, and Ondrej Lunter, Chairman, BBSK, talked about exchanging best practices and experience between regions. They both stressed the critical importance of the right mindset, which has to be shared by the city's inhabitants and the employees of the city council. This vastly increases the chances that proposed solutions will be implemented successfully.
Cybersecurity
The discussion started with an overview of how the recent dramatic geopolitical events influenced businesses and consumer behavior. All of these developments have underlined the importance of trust within the entire system, and trust is critically important in the cybersecurity market. This creates an urgent need for quality risk assessment against inside and outside threats. However, SMEs especially tend to underestimate the risks or ignore risk assessment altogether. As Dan Pastor, Director, Global Go-to-Market Lead, Cyber and Risk Services, Mastercard, pointed out, the impact of attacks on small businesses can be even more devastating than in the case of big ones.
We thank to all our partners, who supported the SAPIE Forum 2023:
