Change is not a punishment: The GREMO Conference on Innovation, Collaboration and New Business Models

11. 03. 2026

Change Is Not a Punishment

The keynote speaker, management expert Dr. Nadya Zhexembayeva, emphasized in her presentation that changes in the business environment are not a punishment but a necessary part of organizational development. Companies that want to remain competitive must foster a culture of adaptability, encourage collaboration, and invest in the development of new knowledge and technologies. It is crucial that organizations understand change as a learning process—both at the level of individuals and entire teams.

Topics such as digital transformation, emerging technologies, shifts in industrial value chains, and the need for stronger collaboration between businesses, research institutions and innovation ecosystems were at the forefront. Such cooperation enables faster development of new solutions and a more effective response to the challenges faced by both the mobility industry and the broader economy.

Kolektor: From Manufacturing to Digital Solutions

The conference also featured Mateja Lavrič, Director of Qlector, who presented a case showing how a large manufacturing multinational can decide to pursue a completely new development direction and diversify its business.

As she explained, the Kolektor decided to expand into the development of software solutions. This decision was driven by the desire for long-term growth and maintaining competitiveness in a rapidly changing industrial landscape. To achieve this, they adopted the concept of open innovation, combining industry knowledge, the technological expertise of startups, and the research potential of the academic environment.

Within this ecosystem, Kolektor contributed primarily its domain expertise and an industrial “sandbox" for rapid prototyping, where partners can test new ideas and technologies in a real production environment. This approach enables faster development of solutions and a more efficient transition from idea to product.

Mateja Lavrič, Director of Qlector, Foto: Robert Zabukovec

Qlector as an Example of Successful Collaboration

As a concrete outcome of such collaboration, Lavrič presented Qlector, a company developing advanced digital solutions for production optimization using artificial intelligence. These solutions help companies analyze data from production processes, improve planning, and optimize the performance of manufacturing systems.

She also highlighted key lessons learned from collaboration between a corporation, startups and academia. Such projects bring many positive effects—faster innovation development, access to new knowledge, and greater flexibility in product development. At the same time, they also present certain challenges, particularly in aligning different ways of working, organizational cultures, and partner expectations.

Collaboration as the Key to Competitiveness

The conference demonstrated that the future success of industry depends on the combination of innovation, collaboration and openness to new business models. Companies that can connect industrial expertise with digital technologies and the startup ecosystem will be better positioned to develop new products and maintain competitiveness in global markets.

The discussions at the conference once again confirmed that change is not an obstacle but an opportunity for development—provided that companies recognize it in time and know how to take advantage of it.

Foto: Robert Zabukovec