Regionalna razvojna agencija za Podravje - Maribor (Slovene)

The Regional Development Agency for Podravje – Maribor (RRAPM) is the central development institution of the Podravje region and a key actor in promoting the economic, social, and spatial development of 41 municipalities. As a regional development organisation with strong research, strategic, and innovation capacities, it serves as the main hub for the preparation, implementation, and monitoring of development policies, programmes, and projects that enhance the region’s competitiveness and sustainable development. The agency operates within KPD – the Creative Park Drava, which functions as the regional centre for entrepreneurship, technologies, and creative industries, and provides essential infrastructure for research and innovation activities. Research Role and Capacities RRAPM develops and carries out research, analytical, and innovation-driven tasks in the fields of regional development, smart specialisation, entrepreneurship, social policies, the circular economy, digitalisation, sustainable mobility, tourism, and the inclusion of vulnerable groups. The agency has its own research group, which focuses on: data analyses and monitoring of regional indicators, research into social and economic trends, innovations in the governance of cities, regions, and entrepreneurial ecosystems, technological and digital solutions supporting smart cities, modelling of regional policies and evaluation studies, technology transfer and the development of new business models. The agency’s research work is grounded in interdisciplinarity and close cooperation between economic, academic, public, and civil society stakeholders, enabling the creation of new, application-oriented knowledge with high added value.