Akcelera – Innovation Centre of the Banská Bystrica Region is the innovation development arm of the Banská Bystrica Self-Governing Region (BBSK), Slovakia's largest region by area, with a population of approximately 611,000. Operating within BBSK's regional public administration, Akcelera is building a connected regional innovation ecosystem structured around three interlinked areas: Investment, Business, and Talent, with innovation as the cross-cutting approach that links them. Our current priorities are: attracting and retaining investment through evidence-based intelligence and improved investment readiness; strengthening the competitiveness of regional companies through sectoral cluster development and support in accessing national and EU funding; and developing entrepreneurial and innovation skills among young people and educators through school-based programmes and regional innovation hubs. Akcelera represents the regional self-government and acts as the connecting hub between companies, investors, educational institutions, municipalities, and innovators across the region.
Contact detail
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Contact person
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Regional Address
Nám. SNP 23, Banská Bystrica 974 01, Slovak Republic
97401 Banská Bystrica
Slovakia
Strategic R&I Projects
Akcelera's (project "Inovačné centrum Banskobystrického kraja") activities align with Slovakia's national Research and Innovation Strategy for Smart Specialisation (SK RIS3 2021+), managed by the Research and Innovation Authority (VAIA), which sets the strategic framework for EU cohesion funding under Programme Slovakia. As BBSK does not operate a separate regional S3, our work is designed to translate national domains into regional action. Project "Inovačné centrum Banskobystrického kraja" (ITMS2014+: NFP401101G323, EFRR, Priority Axis 1P1) is itself financed under this strategic framework. Our business and cluster development work - including our Mechanical Engineering Cluster and cross-sector ICT/digital cluster — contributes directly to the domains "Innovative Industry for the 21st Century" and "Digital Transformation of Slovakia," focusing on smart manufacturing, digitalisation and advanced-materials adoption among regional SMEs. Our emerging Food Cluster supports the "Healthy Food & Environment" domain, addressing climate-resilient agri-food systems relevant to BBSK's agricultural base. On the human-capital side, our Talent programmes and Living Labs build the regional innovation and entrepreneurial capacity that SK RIS3 2021+ identifies as a precondition for domain-level transformation, particularly in underserved districts.