Carpathian Development Institute

As a think-and-do tank organisation, CDI works with its expert team and partner institutions to promote systemic changes in the area of innovative sustainable development of regions, cities and towns in accordance with its key principles.

CDI was founded in 2004 and became a leading independent expert non-governmental organisation which embodies the connection of development research, state-of-the-art global expertise and experience with the operation of self-governments and other territorial development actors. CDI’s priority focus is on the comprehensive and systemic regional and local development, while special attention is paid to residential areas.

Most of CDI’s activities are carried out as pilot projects which may subsequently be replicated in similar conditions. Cooperation with a variety of institutions – both Slovak and foreign – such as universities, specialised expert organisations, departments of territorial and urban development of municipalities and towns, NGOs and relevant individual experts is an important part of CDI’s approach.

CDI offers independent development analyses, studies and scenarios, as well as draft methodologies, concepts, development strategies, plans and programmes, complete with their implementation mechanisms, which can be used in decision-making processes at national, regional or local levels.

CDI Approach and Key Principles

Comprehensive approach to development

CDI sees the term of municipal/city/regional development as a wider concept which, apart from the economic dimension, also includes positive changes occurring in other spheres of life, such as social, cultural, health-related, environmental, technological, HR, civil society development, etc.

Awareness and utilisation of uniqueness of each territory

All of CDI’s activities and outputs are “tailored” to the territories in question and to the challenges (problems and opportunities) these territories face. CDI always makes the most of local knowledge and respects the genius loci of each territory.

Inclusion of external environmental influences

CDI considers it right to not have territorial governance principles based solely on previous experience, existing needs and requirements and on traditional development management systems. Therefore, CDI’s proposals also reflect anticipated threats and opportunities coming from outside of the territory in question.

Mobilisation of local stakeholders and of local human potential

CDI understands that, in order to ensure dynamic and synergic territorial development, it is essential to accumulate local social and human capital, initiate and coordinate activities and make the most of the potential of a vast variety of stakeholders (both institutions and individuals) active within the territory.

Indispensability and key importance of territorial self-government

CDI works with the premise that transparent and participative governance is a direct responsibility of territorial self-governments. Therefore, CDI strives to help these self-governments to link and coordinate the various activities and interests of citizens and public and private institutions to search for the most effective and the most efficient solutions to common development issues.

Awareness raising and harmonisation of territorial development interests

CDI sees its role in helping to overcome gaps between different understanding of development priorities of the public and of the public administration bodies in order to ensure more efficient reaction to the real needs of territorial development.

Research & Innovations & Implementation

In all its activities, CDI combines research, innovative solutions and their practical implementation.

Good regional solutions framework

CDI promotes “best solutions” and their application at both local and regional level by participating in national and international strategic, institutional and legislative processes.

Knowledge and experience sharing

CDI considers it its priority to transfer positive experience and knowledge from more developed countries to Slovakia and, at the same time, to transfer Slovak expertise to other developing countries of Europe.

Our Team

Andrej Steiner, PhD.

A co-founder of CDI and the Institute’s director since its establishment in 2004 boasts profound theoretical knowledge as well as practical experience in the field of territorial development governance – namely in strategic planning and implementation of development plans at national, regional and local level; forming legislative, institutional and policy frameworks; and incorporation of environmental considerations into public authorities’ decision-making processes. In the past Andrej worked as the UN’s principal adviser on Europe and countries of the former Soviet Union in the field of environmental governance; as American Peace Corps environmental program director for Slovakia and as a consultant to the European Commission.

Michal Schvalb

With a background in political science, after more than 10 years in CDI Michal has won the reputation of an outstanding expert on regional development and its governance. Michal has vast experience with knowledge transfer in the abovementioned field both in abroad. At present, he mainly applies his analytical, strategic and methodological skills in the areas of climate change vulnerability assessment, local adaptation strategy preparedness and implementation and that of preparation of materials for awareness raising and increasing the involvement of the public and public authorities in solving these issues.

Zuzana Jarosova

Her knowledge from the fields of geography, cartography and applied geoinformatics acquired during studies at the University of Prešov, University of Žilina and Charles University in Prague has been applied in CDI topics and projects since the beginning of 2017. In her capacity as an expert, she has been involved in analytical, methodological and strategic activities and the processing of outputs - with emphasis on the topics of assessing vulnerability to the effects of climate change and adaptation at the local level. Zuzana specialises in data processing and visualization in geographic information systems.

Karin Kernerova

A graduate of the Faculty of Science of Comenius University in Bratislava with a specialization on regional geography, regional development and European integration has been working at CDI since April 2020. She applies her rich experience in the field of management, coordination and promotion of international projects and events within the non-profit sector in the position of the project manager at CDI.

Petronela Zahurancova
Petronela completed her bachelor's degree at the Faculty of Economics of the Technical University in Košice, focusing in her final thesis on the socio-economic perspectives of the city's adaptation to the climate change. In addition to her master´s studies in the field of Economics and Public Administration Management, she has been gaining work experience at KRI as a project manager since 2019.

Experts we cooperate with
If necessary, the expertise of our in-house team is complemented by varied professional qualities offered by a network of collaborators both from Slovakia and abroad.

Zuzana Zaborska
strategic planning and management of socio-economic territorial development processes, consultant

Ladislav Hegyi
environmentalist, consultant

Pavol Stano
expert on regional development and local governance

Zuzana Hudekova, PhD.
landscape architect, Regional Environmental Centre, Bratislava

Jana Knezova, PhD.
consultant in the field of process management in self-government

Martin Jergus
urbanist, Chief Architect Office of the City of Košice

prof. Oto Hudec
regionalist and economic expert, Faculty of Economics Kosice Technical University

Richard Filčák, PhD.
expert on economic and social dimensions of the climate change, Center for Social and Psychological Sciences (SAV), Bratislava

Pavel Stastny, PhD.
climatologist, Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute, Bratislava

Juraj Holec, PhD.
limatologist, Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute, Bratislava

Jozef Pecho
climatologist, Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute, Bratislava

Marián Kučera
hydrolologist, water management expert, DHI SLOVAKIA, Bratislava

Josef Novak
expert on carbon footprint, low-carbon strategies and adaptation strategies, CI2, Prague

Mirek Lupač
climate change methodology expert, Koniklec agency, Prague

Aleksandra Kazmierczak
expert on socially just adaptation, European Environment Agency, Copenhagen

Anna Dobrucka, PhD.
landscape architect, Ateliér Dobrucká, Nitra

Miriam Šebova, PhD.
specialist in processes of measuring and evaluating economic impacts in the field of regional development, culture and creative industries, Technical University, Košice

Marián Hudák
PR and communication expert

Tereza Sejkova
PR and communication expert

Apolonia Pecka Sejkova
sociologist, communication and participation expert

Jørn Holm-Hansen
regionalist, Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional Research, Oslo, Norway

Vladan Jeremic
regionalist, RARIS, Zajecar Serbia