JAVNA AGENCIJA REPUBLIKE SLOVENIJE ZA SPODBUJANJE INVESTICIJ, PODJETNISTVA IN INTERNACIONALIZACIJE

Their core work

SPIRIT Slovenia is the national public agency responsible for promoting investment, entrepreneurship, and internationalization in Slovenia. Within H2020, they operate as part of the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), delivering innovation management coaching and capacity-building services to Slovenian SMEs. Their core work involves deploying Key Account Managers (KAMs) and coaches who help SMEs improve their innovation processes using tools like IMP3rove, and guiding them toward EU funding instruments such as the SME Instrument and FET Open.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early period (2015-2016), SPIRIT focused narrowly on SME innovation management assessment using IMP3rove and deploying Key Account Managers. By 2019-2021, their scope broadened significantly to include guidance on a wider range of EU funding instruments — adding FET Open, FTI, and the SMEMpower framework alongside the original SME Instrument focus. This evolution shows a shift from basic innovation diagnostics toward a more comprehensive EU funding advisory role for Slovenian SMEs.

SPIRIT is expanding from pure innovation coaching toward acting as a full-spectrum EU funding gateway for Slovenian SMEs, covering an increasingly diverse set of funding instruments.

How they like to work

SPIRIT participates exclusively as a partner, never as coordinator — consistent with their role as a national EEN node executing locally within EU-wide coordination actions. They work within a small, stable consortium of 7 partners all within one country, suggesting a tightly-knit Slovenian EEN partnership that repeats across funding cycles. This makes them a reliable, low-friction partner for anyone needing a Slovenian SME access point, but they are not a consortium-building hub.

SPIRIT works with a compact network of 7 partners, all within Slovenia, reflecting the nationally-scoped nature of EEN innovation management actions. Their network is deep rather than wide — built on repeated collaboration with the same Slovenian EEN consortium members.

What sets them apart

SPIRIT is Slovenia's official gateway for business support and internationalization, giving them unmatched institutional access to the country's SME ecosystem. Unlike research institutes or universities, they sit at the intersection of government policy and business execution — making them the natural partner when a consortium needs to reach Slovenian companies at scale. Their continuous EEN involvement since 2015 means they have a tested coaching infrastructure and a deep pipeline of SME contacts.

Highlights from their portfolio

• We4SMESLO 5
  Most recent and broadest iteration, incorporating SMEMpower, IMP3rove, and multiple funding instruments (SME Instrument, FET Open, FTI) into a single coaching framework.
• We4SMESLO_4
  Marked the expansion point where SPIRIT added FET Open and FTI guidance beyond the original SME Instrument focus, signaling a strategic broadening of services.