SEB LU research: Machines, software and ideas: the dynamics of tangible and intangible investments in Slovenia

Slovenia faces a challenge shared across the European economy: compared to the US and China, the EU invests significantly less than necessary—both in machinery and buildings as well as in research, software, and knowledge. Students of the international master’s program IMB will present the results of a study that highlights investments on three levels. At the macroeconomic level, it analyzes investment activity in the EU, the US, and China over the 2000–2025 period; at the industry level, it compares investments in selected manufacturing and service sectors between Slovenia and other EU countries; and at the firm level, it compares access to financial sources in Slovenia with other euro area countries. Based on survey data from Slovenian firms, the study then empirically analyzes their investment activity, motives and obstacles to investing, the extent of green investments, and the adoption of new technologies, which represent an important part of corporate investments. Case studies of companies such as Better, Terme Olimia, Paloma, and BYD demonstrate how successful businesses combine investments in tangible and intangible capital to enhance their market competitiveness.