The Competence Center for eGovernment will provide funding for the implementation and promotion of Slovenian IT solutions in foreign markets and will create a link with the economy, state administration and research and development institutions.

LJUBLJANA, 2. 12. 2009- Slovene information technology companies have produced high quality and internationally competative solutions for Slovene public administrations. They, have however, failed to penetrate foreign markets so far. This afternoon, the inaugural meeting of the Competence Centre for eGovernment was held at the Slovenian Chamber of Commerce.  The Competence Center for eGovernment, which will operate under the export association ZITex, will provide the international promotion of solutions that have been proven successful in Slovenian Public Administration and were manufactured in Slovenia. The aim of the Competence Center is to create a tenfold increase in exports in the coming year, in relation to what Slovenian companies have currently achieved.

'The marketing of information solutions requires a systematic approach, both in terms of the joint action of producers and of co-operation with the State and a wider range of public institutions in providing solutions and adequate financial means which are necessary for the implementation of marketing activities,' stressed Stane Štefančič, the first elected president of the Competence centre. The Competence Center will be expanded to link the economy, public administration and research and development institutes in Slovenian universities.

Until now Slovenian companies selling their solutions in the field of eGovernment have been operating independently, or through the establishment of subsidiaries or through strategic partners in local markets. Due to this non-coordinated approach, they have not been able to successfully compete with suppliers from countries which have strategically approached to promote their products. 'The establishment of the Competence Center for eGovernment is very pragmatic and follows good practices to be an exporter of IT solutions for e-administration; these practices are successfully used by countries, such as Austria, Finland, Latvia and Greece,' said Štefančič.

The operation center will be market oriented towards countries of the former Yugoslavia (Serbia, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo) as well as to countries such as Slovakia, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria and Moldova. The ultimate goal is for sales in most developed EU countries. The EGovernment Competence Center offers a lifetime opportunity for a number of Slovenian producers of IT solutions, especially in the Yugoslav markets, where, due to good connections and knowledge of the economic and social environment, it is well ahead of competition. This opportunity could easily be wasted due to disorganisation.

At the inaugural meeting, in addition to creating guidelines for the operation and financing of the competence center and the initial steps of appointing the selected members of the Executive Committee that coordinates the work of the Center. The Executive committee members are: Andrej Brlečič - SRC, Andja Komšo - Hermes SoftLab, Sašo Novakovič – IPMIT, Stane Štefančič – Genis.

The inaugural meeting of the Competence Center for eGovernment was attended by:
Aleš Skubic, RRC
Bojana Korošec, Špica International
Branislav Popovič, Perftech
Dušan Zupančič, ZITex (GZS)
Mateja Jarec, JAPTI
Mitja Kolbe, Špica International
Mitja Žakelj, Oracle
Stane Štefančič, Genis
Tatjana M. Zupan, RRC
Tomaž Kranjc, IPMIT
Uroš Slak, ASTEC

For more information about Genis eGovernment solutions visit: http://www.genis.si/genisweb/index.jsp?locale= EN.