Pharma companies Novartis, Krka and Lek, biotech company Sartorius BIA Separations and steel maker SIJ Acroni were among the top ten innovators to win recognition as the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GZS) presented annual innovation awards on 10 September.

A total of ten gold, 24 silver and 12 bronze accolades, plus a special recognition for innovation challenge and one for disruptive invention were presented to companies and innovators active in Slovenia, both foreign-owned and local.

"We have chosen sustainability," the GZS summed up the recurring theme of Innovation Day, the event honouring the winners.

The top ten awards went to Iskra Pio for the isolation system for sterile powder filling, SIJ Acroni for the steel of the future - an innovation for hydrogen fuel cells, Proga Rollerski for its running skateboard with a brake, and Ema for the BlueSenz family of wireless sensors, which ensure that fisheries monitoring centres receive accurate data on fishing activities.

SIJ Metal Ravne received the award for the development of new technology to produce UTOPTI superalloy for nuclear applications, and Mahle Electric Drives Slovenia for SCT drive motor technology.

Novartis was honoured for its innovative ABPP technology for the search of critical protein impurities in biological drugs, Krka for dabigatran, used to treat and prevent blood clots, Lek for ferric carboxymaltose to treat anaemia, and Sartorius BIA Separations for its system for continuous cell lysis.

The Special Innovation Challenge Award went to fashion designer Martina Marolt for her brand of women's sustainable modular clothing By Martis.

"In a world facing environmental, social and economic challenges, sustainability - development with future generations in mind - is becoming the cornerstone of what we do. And it is innovation that plays a central role in finding sustainable solutions to ensure a better tomorrow," GZS president Tibor Šimonka said at the evnt.

Innovation "helps to address key challenges such as the transition to a circular economy and reducing our environmental footprint". Without innovation there is no progress, no sustainable transformation, he said.

However, despite relatively high investments in research and development, Slovenia is still only a moderate innovator, said GZS director general Vesna Nahtigal.

Possible reasons include over-taxation of labour, especially of experts, who thus move to other countries; bureaucratic obstacles that make it difficult for companies to claim tax breaks for innovation; an unstable and unstimulating tax environment that discourages foreign investment, except when the state steps in directly with subsidies; and a shortage of staff in digitalisation, which is closely linked to innovation, Nahtigal said.

Hosted by the GZS, Innovation Day is supported by the Economy Ministry and the Spirit investment promotion agency.

A total of 47 innovations vied for the awards from 230 entries involving over 1,300 innovators.