Danube Transfer CentresSteinbeis Europa Zentrum expands its network of Danube Transfer Centers and participates in the 14th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region

The 14th Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR) took place this year in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, with Dr. Jonathan Loeffler, Sebastian Große-Puppendahl, Daniela Chiran, Dr. Clémentine Roth, Robin Schenk, and Tania Cimesa from Steinbeis Europa Zentrum participating as part of a high-ranking delegation from the Baden-Württemberg State Ministry, the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism, and the Baden-Württemberg State Parliament. Alongside discussions on geopolitical developments and the role of cities as transformation hubs in the Danube region, the forum focused on advancing integration and innovation in heritage and the green transition.

As part of the forum, members of the Danube Transfer Center (DTC) Network coordinated by Steinbeis Europa Zentrum also gathered for the annual DTC Ceremony. The event opened with keynote speeches on the theme “Advancing Integration and Innovation in Heritage and Green Transition in the Danube Region: Strengthening Skills, Connectivity, and Sustainable Development.”

Three new members join the network of Danube Transfer Centers

Following the keynote presentations, three new organizations joined the DTC Network: the City Development Agency East Sarajevo (RAIS) and the Sarajevo Economic Region Development Agency (SERDA) from Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, as Policy Hubs as well as the Pomurje Technology Park (PTP) from Murska Sobota, Slovenia, as a Business Hub.

The DTC Network 2025 including three new partners.

Since its foundation in 2012, the transnational DTC Network has been a lighthouse project for promoting innovation and improving knowledge and technology transfer in the Danube region. With now 16 so-called "Entry Points" and 41 DTC Hubs in 12 countries of the Danube Region, the network offers support and regional expertise for organizations that want to strengthen their competitiveness and international orientation. It is an exceptional platform for innovation, technology transfer and knowledge exchange. For these achievements, the DTC Network was awarded the title of "Danube Strategy Flagship" in 2023 by the Danube Strategy Point and Priority Area 8 of the EUSDR.

As one more activity in the frame of the 14^th EUSDR Annual Forum, Steinbeis Europa Zentrum hosted and co-hosted two different workshops on Lighthouse Projects from the Danube Region, with a thematic focus on Supply Chains & Finance as well as Green Tech, Circular Economy and Circular Bioeconomy. A total of six different speakers from across the Danube Region came to Sarajevo to present their best practices and discuss replication and scalability strategies.

The presentations were based on the Study „Lighthouse Projects in the Danube Region – Catalogue of Best Practices in 2025“, which has been developed by Steinbeis Europa Zentrum together with Pannon Business Network and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia as task of the Working Group Innovation & Technology Transfer in the EUSDR's Priority Area 8.

Read the study: EUSDR_PA8_STUDY_LIGHTHOUSEPROJECTS_FINALVERSION.pdf

More information on the workshop and presentation contents can be found on the website of EUSDR PA 8 via this (Supply Chains & Finance) and this link (Green Tech, Circular Economy and Circular Bioeconomy)

The awarded projects in the field of Supply Chains & Finance