SIC General Assembly 2022 at Seepark Wörthersee Resort

Opening of the SIC General Assembly 2022 in the Seepark Wörthersee Resort | Photo: SIC

The event was opened with a summary report by SIC President Ing. Marc Gfrerer. Successful projects and events of the past year were presented in more detail – and there happened a lot! Starting with new network cooperations with important partners of the Carinthian business location as well as training and further education institutions, numerous events, creation of new formats up to successfully implemented digitization and IT security projects and activities of the internationalization offensive in the Software Internet Cluster.

Accompanying projects with the UBIT experts group, such as the orientation platform for paths into the IT industry, it.kaernten.at, as well as the resulting internal goals and mission of the Software Internet Cluster in the course of the past Strategy Meeting in cooperation with the new advisory board presented in more detail in April 2022.

Daniel Kattnig – Head of Focus Group eCommerce

The eCommerce focus group headed by Daniel Kattnig was once again able to look back on a successful year. Numerous consultations in terms of e-commerce, digitization and future prospects in the digital sector were offered and taken. There were also special highlights such as various workshops, talks about the DigiGUIDES 2.0 initiative, the WKO Online Heroes or the SIC Online Focus Talk on the topic of “Platforms – Amazon, Willhaben & Co” in cooperation with our Digital Sales focus group headed by Bernd Buchegger.

DI Bernd Buchegger – Head of Focus Group Digital Sales

In addition to the intensive cooperation with the eCommerce focus group, the Digital Sales focus group also reported in the course of the SIC Focus Talk on the subject of NFTs and Blockchain Applications with external expert Dennis Fleischer from t3n.de and the start of the workshop series on the subject of NFTs and Crypto -Applications with Dietmar Pogatschnig from dBIT GmbH & Co. KG.

Holger Schmitz – Head of Focus Group IT-Security

The focus group for IT security with Holger Schmitz and Wolfgang Stauder made their expertise available for the fifth edition of the Cyber Security Night. Among other things, the exploration of intersections with the SAC on the subject of IT security for closer cooperation and exchange was part of the program and will be actively continued. By the way, preparations for the next edition of the Cyber Security Night are already in full swing!

For tips from our IT security experts, the video series “IT security experts clarify on TV”, which was shown on private television KT1 and in the Kärntner Wirtschaft, can still be accessed. In the event of a cyber attack, our regional experts from the Chamber of Commerce can also be reached around the clock via the Cyber Security Hotline!

Michael Satlow, BSc – Head of Focus Group Open Source

Away from the usual environment – Recording of not yet mapped paths with the help of GPS devices (smartwatch, smartphone) was on the agenda. Geographical data was entered into the Open Street Map database during joint hikes with numerous networking opportunities of the FG OS – thank you very much!

Anja Silberbauer, MSc – Head of Focus Group Startups and Internationalization

Of course, there was also a lot to report from the start-up scene. The SIC Startup Breakfast was organized here as one of the first events in 2022. The fresh format brings together young entrepreneurs from Carinthia with a lively exchange about start-up perspectives, funding and investor networks over a delicious breakfast. In addition, the SIC Startup Table was held for the first time this year to further strengthen the networking of founders and important partners from the startup scene.

The absolute highlight this year was of course the PODIM trip to Maribor, where young entrepreneurs from the region were actively supported by a total of 10 partner organizations and were given the opportunity to present their own company to international investors, potential corporate partners or mentors and thereby clearly increased their own visibility!

Every year, the consulting firm GARTNER selects technologies that are strategically particularly relevant in the business environment and provide practical, objective insights for managers and their teams. This year we were expecting a top-class guest appearance from GARTNER on the highly explosive topic of IT security!

Patrick Struger, BSc – Assistant for International Affairs

The aim of the internationalization offensive in SIC is to strengthen networking within the region and in the Alpe-Adria area and to promote cooperation both within and outside the cluster. There were numerous initiatives such as the Export Breakfast together with the Carinthia Foreign Trade Center, personal and virtual presentations of the regional IT scene in the course of business delegations in cooperation with BABEG.

The intensification with cooperation partners, such as the Silicon Alps Cluster, was also addressed with numerous discussions, organization of a joint bus trip to the annual B2B event, the EBSCON in Graz, as well as participation in the event series on cyber security “Spotlight Cyber Security” and support for the charitable initiative Ukraine Talent Pipeline.