Urša Jerše

Urša Jerše is a recognised innovation ecosystem leader in the Western Balkans and Central European region, known for her ability to connect academia, industry, and public institutions to foster systemic innovation. In her role as Assistant Secretary General at the University of Ljubljana, she has been instrumental in designing and leading initiatives that strengthen knowledge transfer and collaboration across sectors.

She leads the national project UNIK@TT (2024-2029), which focuses on building the capacity of knowledge transfer offices at Slovenian universities, aiming to professionalize and scale up technology transfer and innovation support services. Within this project she played the leading role in building the national technology transfer platform: Knowledge Transfer Slovenia (https://prenosznanja.si/en/).

Urša is also actively involved in international innovation policy and practice: she served as an expert in the RCC’s Toolkit for Knowledge Transfer at Public Universities in the Western Balkans, and led a regional innovation workshop for stakeholders from the Western Balkans, helping to build shared understanding and capacity for innovation-driven collaboration.

Through her leadership of the Uni.minds festival and Knowledge Transfer Slovenia, she has reimagined how universities engage with innovation, creating platforms that brings together researchers, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and students in meaningful dialogue and co-creation. Her work exemplifies a strategic, inclusive, and impact-oriented approach to innovation ecosystem development.