Fresh energy for regional development
Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship is a private non-profit institute focused on the growing importance of innovation in the development of the target region and its economy. Its work is based on excellence and adaptability to change. It is conceived as a platform of experienced professionals from various expert fields providing high-quality services, while working with other organizations and experts in the region and internationally.
The mission of the institute is to introduce the principles of innovation and sustainable development into the target region and promote the quality of cooperation between companies, support institutions and municipalities, with the fundamental aim to increase the competitiveness of the target region.
Objectives and principles of work:
- To support innovation and regional knowledge;
- To promote the entrepreneurial culture and competitiveness;
- To develop public-private partnership networks in the field of entrepreneurship, crafts, tourism, agriculture, NGOs, cooperatives and other initiatives;
- To promote sustainability - concern for balanced economic, social and environmental development.
Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship combines the expertise and experiences in the fields of public administration, EU programs (planning, coordination and management, monitoring and evaluation of projects and programs), strategic planning, project management, sustainable and regional development, rural development (sustainable local food supply chains, smart villages, smart farms), sustainable tourism (management and marketing of tourism destinations, development of tourist products), innovation and entrepreneurship, business modelling (digitalisation and optimisation of business processes), marketing and public relations and networking with a wide range of international experiences in EU Member States and candidate countries.
Team
Why we are a strong pair for your project: meet the team.
Branko Kmetec – Director
Branko is a senior BPM architect and AI strategist with more than 30 years of international experience across banking, insurance, logistics and government, from business process orchestration to agentic AI systems. As director, he leads the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
m: +386 40 463 907
e: branko.kmetec@zipiie.eu
Janja Viher – Senior Consultant
Janja brings more than 30 years of leadership in regional development, tourism innovation and public-private project management. Having led tourism boards, municipalities and EU-funded initiatives, she is the bridge between strategic development and sectoral execution.
m: +386 31 669 949
e: janja.viher@zipiie.eu
ZIP profile
Who we are, our roles in EU consortia, selected projects and our key experts – on two A4 pages.