Amna Potočnik holds a PhD in Economics and Business Sciences, with a focus on International Management, from the University of Maribor.

She is a senior expert in regional development, international cooperation, territorial innovation and applied research, with more than 25 years of experience in European programmes, cross-border cooperation, strategic planning and regional development policy. She currently works at the Regional Development Agency for Podravje in Maribor as Head of the Regional Development Research Group.

Her work focuses on project development, stakeholder engagement, participatory processes, policy support and the preparation of strategic documents and recommendations for regional and local development. She also initiated the Open Innovation Lab ORbITaLA, creating a transdisciplinary platform for open innovation.