The jubilee 15th edition of the Slovak Matchmaking Fair 2021 took place on May 25-26 2021. The year 2021 is also the jubilee year for the Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency celebrating its 20th anniversary.The 15 successful years confirm the tradition of the Slovak Matchmaking Fair platform as the largest annual international meeting of Slovak and foreign companies organized by the Slovak Investment and Trade Development Agency (SARIO) under the auspices of the Ministry of Economy of the SR. The Slovak Matchmaking Fair has become a relevant platform linking science, R&D, and above all Slovak and foreign companies providing visibility to the unique projects MADE IN SLOVAKIA presenting the innovation potential of Slovakia and popularizing branding Good Idea Slovakia. Moreover, it is worth mentioning that in the 15 years of the Slovak Matchmaking Fair more than 9,000 bilateral negotiations of more than 3,000 registered Slovak and foreign companies from more than 40 countries took place thanks to this platform.The event was opened by Richard Sulík, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of the Slovak Republic with accompanying speeches of Dušan Velič, State Secretary, Ministry of Investments, Regional Development and Informatization of the SR, Ingrid Brocková, State Secretary, Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak RepublicKoloman Buzgó, Head of Corporate Customer Solutions Division, CSOB, Róbert Šimončič, CEO, SARIO, and Róbert Kanás, Director, Agrokomplex NATIONAL EXHIBITION CENTER since this spring matchmaking event takes place usually at their premises as a part of the International Machinery Exhibition. This year´s topic is Modern Industry and how the progress of applying intelligent technologies and this new economic phase impact transformation of the region. In the first part of the event, three moderated panel discussions took place. First panel NEW FORM OF INTERACTION BETWEEN MUNICIPALITY AND INDUSTRY focused on the relations of the investors and the regions they establish their factories with speakers Richard Sulík, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of the SR, Russell Leslie, Operations Director, Jaguar Land Rover Slovakia, Marek Hattas, Mayor of Nitra, Rastislav Vysocký, Lawyer and Procurator, Prosman & Pavlovič, Vladimir Popov, Division Manager R&D, Head of MinebeaMitsumi Development Center Košice, Mike Hawes, Chief Executive, Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, Dominika Forgáčová, Director of Strategic Investments and Transnational Programs, Ministry of Investments, Regional Development and Informatization of the SR, co-speaker Martin Bugár, Director of Development, PARAPETRO. This panel was led by Martin Jesný, an Industry Analyst.The second panel discussion SHIFT TOWARDS SUPPLY CHAIN LOCALIZATION introduced the new package of SARIO services which combines the expertise and experience of the Department of the Investment Projects for new and established investors. The panel was led by Miroslav Beseda, SARIO Investment Projects Department with speakers: Miroslav Mikula, Managing Director, Chassis Core CEE Business Development Mubea, Michal Lábaj, Procurement Manager, Kia Slovakia.The third panel discussion UNIVERSITY - INDUSTRY COOPERATION AS A SOURCE OF INNOVATION dealt with the interactions and cooperation of universities and companies. It focused on the benefits of the University-Industry cooperation, best practices, as well as SARIO services, which companies and universities use to find the right partner. The panel was led by Alexandra Gačevičová, SARIO Regional Offices Department with speakers: Dušan Velič, State Secretary, Ministry of Investments, Regional Development and Informatization of the SR, Ján Kráľ, Vice-Dean, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Kosice, Marina Ranga, European Commission, Joint Research Centre, Ivan Lindovský, Co-founder, AgeVolt and Martin Gondár, SmarTech Solutions.The second part of the event was dedicated to bilateral meetings of Slovak and foreign participants and individual consultations.The Slovak Matchmaking Fair provides since 2007 an ideal business platform for potential new partnerships where participants can effectively network in order to meet new business partners, therefore, giving growth opportunities to many SMEs from Slovakia. Last year SARIO quickly responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and transformed all activities to online mode. For our traditionally largest matchmaking event in the autumn, we are hoping to be able to have the event in its in-person format in Bratislava and use the online tools to broaden its reach and mark the start of the new hybrid model of this platform.Slovak Matchmaking Fair 2021 ONLINEVideo:Otvorenie: https://youtu.be/nYjdL-EOp2I Panel 1: https://youtu.be/h0DFAYS4798Panel 2: https://youtu.be/okoGTjBHmPgPanel 3: https://youtu.be/yUeR_bN-qagWorkshop Brexit https://youtu.be/fKdRM_NtXdMPhotogallery: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmVWf6viREGISTER FOR the upcoming SLOVAK MATCHMAKING FAIR BRATISLAVA on October 21, 2021
