The programme envisages direct endorsement for companies, including SME’s, business environment institutions and networks, top specialist innovation centres providing high-quality services to enterprises, R&D units and the central administration as well as system support to ensure the development of the institutional environment of innovative companies. The following report is compiled by Jerzy Bojanowicz.

Nine priorities

The programme supports innovation-geared undertakings at home and on the international plane. 90% of its funds is allocated for R&D projects, innovations, IT and communications technology.
The IE OP is managed by the Ministry of Regional Development while the departments of Economy, Science and Higher Education as well as the Interior and Administration are responsible for implementing the respective priority axes. The nine axes are: Research and Development of Modern Technologies, R&D Infrastructure, Capital for Investments, Investments in Innovative Undertakings, Diffusion of Innovations, Polish Economy on the International Market, Information Society – building an e-administration, e-society – raising innovativeness in the economy and technical assistance.
Following consultations, the scope of support was widened to include instruments supporting entrepreneurs’ and citizens’ activities (assuring access to broad band Internet) and the sum of allocation was increased from EUR8.2 billion to EUR9.7 billion. Out of that amount, EUR8.3 billion is to come from the European Regional Development Fund with the bulk of that sum to be set aside for the competition pool. Finance is allocated to projects which comply with the programme objectives and best meet the indicative criteria drawn up in detail for each action. It is estimated that about EUR6.4 billion will be earmarked for additional financing by competition.

Verification of projects
Out of the 541 projects reviewed by the Ministry of Regional Development, 433 were entered on the list of key individual projects in the Infrastructure and Environment, as well as Innovative Economy programmes
No project was withdrawn from the IE OP’s R&D priority axis (an allocation of PLN 4,125.12 million available for development). One project was eliminated from the Business Environment Institutions reserve list (PLN 10,393.62 million to be earmarked for development). The whole list of key projects dealing with the Polish Economy on the International Market was annulled. 19 projects were taken off from the basic Information Society list and 14 from the reserve list (PLN 569.46 million set aside for development).
As a result of verification, the third stage of the Gdańsk Science and Technology Park development project (investment cost amounting to PLN 94.80 million) entered by the Pomeranian Special Economic Zone, was transferred from the reserve list to the basic one because it constitutes a major element in implementing the Regional Innovation Strategy of the Pomorskie Province. The Park, developed by the Pomeranian Special Economic Zone in collaboration with the Pomeranian Province Government, the city of Gdańsk and the Gdańsk University of Technology, is a key element in the ”metropolis of knowledge” regional development strategy and is intended to become the support centre for innovations in advanced technologies. In turn, the Warsaw Technology Park – the Warsaw Centre for the Development of Innovation (PLN 159.55 million) – was transferred to the reserve list because its location has not yet been defined. The Luboń Science and Technology Park’s infrastructure development project (at a cost of PLN 75.46 million) was struck-off the list for failure to meet the strategic criteria defined by the Ministry of Regional Development for individual projects and non-compliance with project selection criteria approved by the IE OP Monitoring Committee.

The most costly projects
The indicative list of IE OP key individual projects covers 90 undertakings costing in total PLN 10,099.03 million to develop; 84 of these are projects on the basic list (PLN 9,564.71 million) and 6 on the reserve list (PLN 534.32 million). However, these lists will be reviewed and verified every six months. Projects with no guarantee of meeting the implementation deadline will be taken off the lists. The maximum ERDF funding of projects amounts to 85% of the qualified expenditure, except those that receive public aid or generate incomes.
The highest funding has been allocated to the Technological Credit project of Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego SA (total cost estimate – PLN 1,472.80 million) to support investments implementing new technologies by means of ”technology incentive bonuses” (redemptions) to be granted to SMEs, which received technology loans under the terms of the Law on supporting innovation-geared activities as well as to support (at a cost of PLN 646.83 million) the National Capital Fund’s high-risk-capital funds invested in start-ups.

* * *
Substantial funds have been allocated to:
– the Wrocław Research Centre (EIT+) of the Lower Silesian Materials and Biomaterials Centre (PLN 503.09 million) – the backbone of the Advanced Technologies Centre for applied science research (in the fields of advanced materials, biotechnology and medical technologies) and technology;
– the Pre-clinical Research and Technology Centre at the Medical University of Warsaw (PLN 359.35 million) made up of ten core-facilities integrating basic and pre-clinical research (dealing with structural and functional protein analysis, physics and chemistry and nanotechnology of biomaterials, molecular biotechnology, pathophysiology and physiology, oncology, genomics, neurobiology and aging-related diseases) as well as implementation proceedings;
– the Advanced Materials and Technology Centre (PLN 359.35 million) at the Warsaw University of Technology – over 40 core faciltities for large, interdisciplinary research groups and spin-off companies producing new materials and devices;
– the Wielkopolska Advanced Technology Centre in Poznań at the Adam Mickiewicz University (PLN 251.55 million) – a complex of buildings and laboratories accommodating centres of Advanced Chemical Technology, Industrial Biotechnology, Materials Research (including a regional laboratory equipment unit) as well as of Biomedical Technology (taking in an Animal Research Unit along with technical back-up facilities);
– the Energy and Chemical Coal Utilisation Research Centre at the Central Mining Institute (PLN 161.71 million) - an advanced research basis dealing with future coal processing methods (aimed at increasing energy efficiency and obtaining fluid and gas fuel substitutes as well as chemical raw materials; )
– ECOTECHCOMPLEX – Man, Environment, Production, (PLN 143.74 million), a project at the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin – R&D in biotechnology and bio-engineering, medical techniques, biological advancement in agriculture and the environment protection area;
– National Electromagnetic Radiation Research Centre, stage 1, at the Synchrotronic Radiation Centre of the Jagiellonian University (PLN 143.74 million) – R&D using advanced broad-spectrum electromagnetic radiation sources (ranging from remote infrared to hard X-ray radiation);
– Multimedia Town (PLN 111.76 million), a project of the Management Board of the Multimedia Town’s Technological Park Co. Ltd., covering a complex of a dozen institutional mechanisms and solutions supporting the development of pro-investment undertakings in the Polish economy (science and technology park, a R&D centre, enterprise incubator, multimedia cluster, investment fund and educational system);
– Medicinal Products Biotechnology Centre (PLN 126.85 million) at the Biotechnology and Antibiotics Institute in its Division in Macierzysz near Warsaw;
– From the Wrocław Technology Park to Innopolis Wrocław (PLN 109.78 million) project of the Wrocław Technology Park – infrastructure, buildings, laboratories, including specialist devices and equipment mainly for companies planning to launch or to widen the scope of their R&D work. In addition, part of the funds will be earmarked for the development of services aimed at commercialising scientific discoveries and implementing modern technologies;
– The application of nanotechnology in modern materials (PLN 108.16 million), project at the Wrocław Research Centre (EIT+) – anticipating and application research on manufacturing, technology and properties of selected advanced material groups, including nanomaterials, for the purpose of obtaining materials with new or improved properties, defining their potential practical applications and developing technologies of their production.