7th International Scientific Conference
The 7th International Scientific Conference "Strengthening resilience by the sustainable economy and business - towards the SDGs" was held on 16 May 2023 as part of the International Week of the Faculty of Economics and Business. After the opening address by the Vice-Dean for International Cooperation , Prof. Dr. Jernej Belak, and the welcoming speeches by Prof. Dr. Zlatko Nedelko, Chair of the Programme Committee and Mag. Sanja Kocijan, Chair of the Organising Committee, the conference participants had the opportunity to listen to three invited plenary lectures.

The first plenary lecture was given by Professor Dr. Tiit Elenurm from the Estonian Business School, Estonia, on "Innovative Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Development". His lecture highlighted the challenges and opportunities of sustainable development for innovative entrepreneurs and investors interested in green start-ups. He highlighted a perspective on the discourse on sustainable development that focuses on reversing the trend of globalisation and developing self-reliance of local communities, with an innovative start-up logic focused on scalable business models and digital tools to engage entrepreneurs and customers in different countries to save and recycle resources. It advocates initiatives from small countries as they can build bridges between communities globally, including all levels of society - from citizens to businesses to government institutions, and encourages international networking as it contributes to knowledge sharing and financial sustainability.
The second speaker was Prof. Dr. Thomas Schøtt from the University of Southern Denmark, Denmark. "Born sustainable: Promoted by the ecosystem for sustainable entrepreneurship". In his lecture, he pointed out that the institutions and resources dedicated to entrepreneurial engagement with sustainability in a country form a "national ecosystem for sustainable entrepreneurship". The ecosystem for sustainable entrepreneurship is the context for companies in their pursuit of sustainability. His study addressed the question of whether the ecosystem encourages businesses that are born sustainable by following sustainability strategies and practices from the outset. His epilogue was that the creation of national ecosystems for sustainable entrepreneurship is more conducive to sustainability efforts in newborn companies than in older companies. His contribution contributed to a grounded theorisation on the link between entrepreneurial ecosystems and business sustainability efforts.

The closing plenary lecture was given by Prof. Dr. Rahul Singh, Birla Institute of Management Technology, India, on "Global South Perspective on Circular Economy - the Case of India". In his lecture he presented a study from India that environmental degradation, waste management and energy shortages are inherent problems of India's linear model of industrialisation. India is working to transform its carbon and waste burden by 2023, undergoing a real transformation from linear to circular biorefinery methods, producing compressed natural gas (CNG) and contributing to the country's energy and agriculture needs.
The opening session was followed by the presentation of papers in six morning parallel sessions and six parallel parallel sessions after the lunch break from the Falafel restaurant, which included presentations by national as well as international professors from Estonia, Denmark, India, United Kingdom, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, Albania, Romania, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Georgia, Poland, Germany, Austria, Lithuania, United Arab Emirates, Iran, Portugal, North Macedonia, Spain, Ukraine, Serbia, Bulgaria and the Republic of Kosovo. The 74 speakers presented their own experiences and examples of good practice from different business areas.
The conference was an excellent opportunity for researchers in economics and business to get to know each other, exchange experiences and find common points for possible future collaborations. It was noticeable that once again the "face-to-face networking" was very intense, with participants enthusiastically weaving new acquaintances. Relationships between higher education institutions in the field of economics and business, whose representatives participated in the conference, were also strengthened.
The conference programme also included contributions by professors from the Faculty of Economics and Business, namely Prof. Dr. Romana Korez Vide, Prof. Dr. Zlatko Nedelko, Prof. Dr. Vojko Potočan, Prof. Dr. Borut Milfelner, Prof. Dr. Gregor Radonjič, Prof. Dr. Matjaž Denac, prof. dr. Simona Šarotar Žižek, prof. dr. Matjaž Mulej, prof. dr. Tjaša Štrukelj, prof. dr. Klavdij Logožar, prof. dr. Timotej Jagrič, prof. dr. Daniel Zdolšek, prof. dr. Maja Rožman, prof. dr. Sonja Sibila Lebe, prof. dr. Andreja Primec, prof. dr. Jernej Belak and prof. dr. Simona Sternad Zabukovšek. This year, students from the Faculty of Economics and Business also took part in the conference and enthusiastically presented their findings and promised to participate in such events (Ana Marija Gričnik, Nomi Hrast, Aleksandra Amon, Alona Sova, Miran Grah, Matic Čufar, Vesna Cacio Vukmir). The results of their presentations are published in the proceedings: https://www.iwac-feb.eu/copy-of-programme-1.