3. 3. 2020
Kranj, Yekaterinburg, Skopje, 3 March, 2020 - "The
natural curiosity, along with enthusiasm and imagination, is a prerequisite to
the development of innovativeness, which is a driving force for the advancement
of society and its sustainability," emphasise at Iskratel, a company from
Kranj, Slovenia, while they are preparing for a week of !Nnovation, which will
tako place in the second half of April, from 20 to 24 April, 2020.
As part of the project, they have already prepared two
challenges that are set to encourage the innovation potential, connect generations, and strengthen the bond between the school system and the economy,
within and outside of Slovenia.
"If we look at the European Innovation Scoreboard for
2019, the average value of indicators has placed Slovenia on the 15th place out of all EU members, i.e. in the group of moderate innovators. But we
believe Slovenia can reach the group of the leading innovators. We already have
a large potential, now however, we need to create an encouraging, kind and
attractive setting. And this can be achieved if we collaborate and connect the
school system with the economy, and jointly promote entrepreneurial activities," as emphasised by Jelica L. Lajovic,
MSc, Director of Human Resources and Corporate Communication
at Iskratel, where innovation is one of the key competence of all employees,
and the thirst for knowledge one of the three business values building
Iskratel’s organisational culture of connectedness.
International
challenge for students and experts
"As an international company,
Iskratel has an opportunity to connect young people with experts in Slovenia and abroad. For this reason, we have decided to prepare the !Nternational
Challenge, in cooperation with our companies in Russia and North Macedonia, Iskrauraltel
in ITS Iskratel," as
explained by Gregor Smolej,
Innovation Manager at Iskratel.
This
challenge is for students, experts, and startups with a keen interest in the
world of future. The world that will be propelled by the Internet of Things and
Artificial Intelligence. The world that will use the technologies of future
for the digital transformation of the industry and will contribute to a safer,
more advanced and more sustainable society. You can find more information about
the challenge and application here.
Challenges for Slovenian pupils (students of
primary school and high school)
With a wish to strengthen the bond between the
school system and economy on one hand, and to encourage the thirst for
knowledge, creativity, and innovation on the other, Iskratel has joined
forces with the Slovenian project 'Let’s be Engineers!' which promotes engineering professions to young people, and the National School of Leadership
in Education (Šola za ravnatelje) that strives to develop leadership in
education through professional and versatile collaborations. Jointly, they have
prepared the '!N Challenge Junior' intended for pupils of Slovenian high schools.
The participants will be looking for opportunities to develop simple
medical devices and thus enable a better and longer activity and well-being of
people, while also improving the quality of life of the elderly, the
disabled and the ill.
On the other hand, primary
school students have been invited to participate in the 'Inter-generational !N
Challenge' competition. In this challenge, the pupils will work together with
their grandparents to find answers to questions like what was the meaning of thirst
for knowledge or the biggest innovation of their grandparent’s childhood.
After a single day of innovation in 2019, innovativeness will be
getting a whole week in 2020, with the ‘The !N Day’ peak
During the week of innovation
taking place from 20 to 24 April, Iskratel is planning several activities for its
employees, challenge participants and other guests. The central event ‘!N Day’
will take place on Thursday, 23 April. Before noon, Iskratel will present its
innovative internal environment to pupils, teachers, and principals of high
schools and start the connection between the school system and economy. An
important role will also be played by the members of the round table, principals of
high schools and Ana Robnik, engineer
at Iskratel and the nominee for Engineer of 2019. The winning idea of the '!N
Challenge Junior' competition will also be announced. In the afternoon, Emil Tedeschi, CEO at Atlantic Grupa,
will share his experience, success stories, and his thoughts on the role of
innovation in modern leadership. Furthermore, the winning idea of the '!Nternational Challenge' will be announced later that day.
Iskratel organised their
first Day of Innovation, the first of its kind, in 2019. More than 200 people
from all over Slovenia attended their !N Day. In 2020, a whole week will be
dedicated to innovativeness and, being a socially responsible company, to encourage
the development of this competence in the society of Slovenia and abroad.