On Wednesday, October 15, 2025, the FINNO 2025: Digital. Green. Sustainable. conference took place at the Splendid Hotel in Budva, Montenegro, organized by the Montenegrin Enterprise Europe Network consortium – MontEENegro. The event brought together key players: SMEs, researchers, policymakers, development agencies, support organizations, and EEN partners from the Western Balkans region and the EU.
Purpose and structure of the conference
The conference was designed as a high-level event focused on the transformative potential of digitalization, the green transition, and sustainable development for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Key thematic panels included:
Digitalna transformacija MSP – izzivi in rešitve
Razprava je vključevala digitalna orodja, rešitve, ki jih poganja umetna inteligenca, ter vpliv novih tehnologij na poslovne modele in produktivnost MSP.Vloga mreže EEN pri krepitvi inovacijskih ekosistemov
Panel je obravnaval, kako mreža in storitve EEN prispevajo k gradnji odpornih inovacijskih okolij.Sinergija evropskih projektov – povezovanje Horizon, Interreg, EIT, Digital Europe in mreže EEN
Udeleženci so predstavili dobre prakse pri ustvarjanju sinergij med različnimi evropskimi programi in mrežami za podporo internacionalizaciji, inovacijam in konkurenčnosti.Zeleni prehod in krožno gospodarstvo – potencial in praksa
Poudarek je bil na trajnostnih poslovnih modelih, vključevanju ESG kriterijev in regionalnih pobudah, ki podpirajo zeleni prehod MSP.
Following the panels, B2B meetings were also organized, taking place from October 16–17, 2025, with the aim of establishing cross-border partnerships between SMEs, research institutions, and other organizations.
Additionally, conference attendees were also able to participate in the Economic Conference Montenegro 2025 program, which was held simultaneously in the same location.
The conference also featured the presentation of the RECONOMY – Western Balkans Circular Economy Hub platform, aimed at connecting stakeholders, promoting circular solutions, and encouraging regional initiatives. At the conclusion of the first day, the Circular Economy Awards were presented in several categories, highlighting companies and projects with outstanding contributions to sustainable development.
The role of the Slovenian EEN consortium
The Slovenian EEN consortium was part of the conference, as it is one of the 6 partners of the FINNO platform. We were present at panel discussions, dialogues, and networking events. Our task was to further deepen the operations and cooperation between FINNO (a platform for SE Europe) and Slovenian SMEs: to provide access to information, consulting, and EU funding resources relevant to digital, green, and sustainable transformation.
Enterprise Europe Network Slovenia, with the support of the FINNO platform and the EEN network, will continue to connect Slovenian companies with European partners and promote innovative, sustainable, and internationally oriented projects.
Konferenca FINNO 2025 znova potrjuje svojo vlogo kot pomembna regionalna platforma dialoga, sodelovanja in rasti. Veselimo se nadaljnjih povezav, izmenjav dobrih praks in krepitve inovacijskega okolja v regiji in širše.
