SKUPINA FABRIKA RAZISKAVE IN RAZVOJ DOO

Their core work

Skupina Fabrika is a Slovenian R&D SME based in Ljutomer that works at the practical end of the energy transition — community-scale heating infrastructure and industrial waste valorization — rather than in foundational science. Their project portfolio covers two distinct but complementary tracks: getting small modular renewable district heating and cooling systems adopted by communities, and converting wet organic and industrial wastes into second-generation fuels through advanced biorefinery. The "fabrika" (factory) in their name signals an applied, production-oriented approach typical of an industrial R&D unit. They operate as embedded partners in large international consortia, contributing sector-specific expertise rather than coordinating full projects.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Both H2020 projects started within one year of each other (2016 and 2017), making it difficult to trace a meaningful trajectory within their EU portfolio. If there is a signal, it runs from a market-uptake coordination project (CoolHeating, CSA) toward a five-year technical research project (Heat-To-Fuel, RIA) — suggesting growing investment in scientific depth alongside commercial activities. Without activity data beyond 2017 or keyword metadata, confirming a sustained shift is not possible.

Their move from a market-support coordination project to a five-year RIA on advanced biorefinery suggests growing ambition in technical R&D, but the portfolio is too small to confirm this as a durable direction.

How they like to work

Skupina Fabrika has participated only as a consortium partner across both H2020 projects — they have never coordinated a project. Despite this, they joined large and well-connected consortia: 24 unique partners across 12 countries from just two projects is a broad footprint for an organization this size. This makes them an accessible partner for consortium builders seeking a lean Central European SME with energy sector credentials, though they bring no experience running projects or managing budgets at the consortium level.

With 24 unique partners across 12 countries from only 2 projects, Skupina Fabrika is connected to large, internationally diverse energy consortia. Their network likely spans academic institutions, technology companies, and public bodies active across the European energy transition.

What sets them apart

As a small R&D SME from Ljutomer — a town in Slovenia's predominantly agricultural Pomurje region — Skupina Fabrika is an unusual profile: a lean research-oriented company with hands-on energy expertise embedded in large European networks. Their dual footprint in both community energy infrastructure and waste biorefinery is relatively rare for an organization this size. For consortium builders seeking a Central or Eastern European SME partner with applied energy credentials and no geographic overlap with Western European incumbents, they offer both sector credibility and regional diversity.

Highlights from their portfolio

• Heat-To-Fuel
  The largest and longest project in their portfolio (2017-2022, EUR 278,289), tackling technically ambitious biorefinery research combining hydrothermal liquefaction and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis to produce second-generation fuels from organic and industrial waste.
• CoolHeating
  A market-uptake coordination project targeting community-scale renewable heating and cooling deployment — notable for its practical, dissemination-focused mandate and its contrast with the more research-intensive second project.