IMPACT
SUMMIT
Connecting people from civil society, business, and public administration and academia – we create a space for discussions on key societal issues.
December 3rd 2025
Aréna theatre
Viedenská cesta 10
Bratislava
About the Summit
Democracy and its principles are under great pressure in countries all over the world. It is being weakened by hybrid warfare, by the relativisation of facts, and by looking up to authoritarian types of leaders. It is neither helped by the undermining and questioning of the role of civil society. All this leads to polarisation of society in Slovakia as well.
In response to this negative trend, we are organising the Impact Summit – an event that will bring together the civic, public and corporate sectors, as well as academia. We believe that people from these fields should have conversations on important societal issues, share experiences in finding solutions, and collaborate with each other.
The Power Within Us – this is the central theme of this year’s Impact Summit. We’ll be exploring resilience in all its forms: societal, personal, and institutional.
We live in times that bring more questions than answers. Is the global order shifting? What kind of leaders do we need in times of uncertainty? How do we prepare for a future shaped by rapidly evolving artificial intelligence? Can we learn from the past? And most importantly – what can we do today?
Unique networking opportunities
Discussions on strengthening democracy
International speakers
Proven social innovations
Impact Stories – Stories of Changemakers
News
11.12.2024 |
Impact Summit 2024 Opened a Debate About Trust
For the second year, Impact Summit connected over 300 people from civil society, business, and public administration to seek out solutions for current societal issues. The event is organized by the Pontis Foundation and this year’s theme was trust. Among the speakers were Norwegian extremism expert and a survivor of Anders Breivik’s attack Bjørn Ihler, […]
24.10.2024 |
Breivik attack survivor now helps fight extremism
Bjørn Ihler has survived a terrorist attack in his youth. A personal experience influenced his decision to start helping victims of extremism. At this year’s Impact Summit, he will talk about where denial of difference and diversity can lead, including how to create space for dialogue in a divided society, and how to find trust in people and the world.
10.09.2024 |
We don’t trust institutions or each other in Slovakia. Trust as the central theme of this year’s Impact Summit
We are acutely aware of the state our country is in. Society is divided into camps, constructive solutions are being squeezed out by populism, and the civil sector, together with the rule of law, is facing a lot of pressure.
06.12.2023 |
Impact Summit welcomed the advisor of President Barack Obama as well as an academic authority on social innovation
The event brought together over 250 people from civil society, business and government. Impact Summit also created an opportunity for conversations on topical issues such as recession of democracy, local engagement and social innovation.
23.11.2023 |
Democracy and citizens: how to increase people’s engagement at the local level?
The challenges facing the world in recent years are bringing about a recession of democracy and increasingly contributing to the polarisation of society. It is local governments that are proving to be more credible than national governments, because they have the ability to actively involve citizens and to respond both flexibly and innovatively to urgent […]
16.11.2023 |
New perspective at the role of public administration in promoting democracy
Udržanie a posilnenie demokracie, ktorá je pre všetkých, je vecou a zodpovednosťou nás všetkých. Nielen politikov, političiek, ale aj občianskej spoločnosti a ľudí pôsobiacich vo verejnej správe. Na Impact Summite preto výstúpia riaditelia Multitudes Foundation, Sarah Durieux a Jeff Kwasi Klein. Hovoriť budú o inovatívnom pohľade na úlohu občianskej spoločnosti a štátu pri podpore demokracie. 14:20 – […]
08.11.2023 |
Collective process increases likelihood of success, writes Johanna Mair
Quick pathways to impactful solutions are rare. Forming coalitions and prioritising collaboration over individual action can slow the implementation of social innovation. However, a collective process increases the likelihood of an innovation’s success in the long run.
07.11.2023 |
Political innovations: a necessity for democracy and a bogeyman for authoritarian leaders
Johanna Mair, a Stanford professor, describes the new concept of political innovation in the Stanford Social Innovation Review. It was developed in response to the recession of democracy, which has been accompanied by an increase in polarization, authoritarianism and social conflict (1). This concept emphasizes that innovation can be an effective means of addressing the political problems that constrain democracy.
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
Contact
Zelinárska 2, 821 08 Bratislava, Slovak republic