Polish-Swiss research project is launched

The Polish-Swiss Research Programme (PSPB) was inaugurated on January 14. The Programme is aimed at developing knowledge-based economy through Polish-Swiss research projects. Its total value, available for jointly-impolemented research projects, amounts to CHF 26 million.

Financial support from the Programme may be granted to higher education institutions, R&D centres, research facilities run by the Polish Academy of Sciences, NGOs and other entities which have been active in the field of research and development.

Projects supported from the Programme may be run in the five following fields: ICT (Information and Communication Technology), Energy - renewable energy sources, Nanotechnologies, Health Care and Environment. Projects may receive 100% of the qualified costs, out of which 85% is guaranteed by the Swiss part and the 15% comes from Poland's national budget. Potential beneficiaries may apply for funds for the realisation of smaller research projects worth from CHF 0.3 million and for bigger ones in which budgets may range from CHF 1 to CHF 2 million. Expenditure may be incurred no later than by June 30th, 2016.

The first call for proposals is planned for the beginning of the second quarter of 2010 and will last for three months. The Polish-Swiss Research Programme will be managed by the Information Processing Centre (OPI www.opi.org.pl) which will act as an Executive Instituton. For more information on the Programme visit: www.programszwajcarski.gov.pl in the section Priority Sectors → Human and Social Development → Polish-Swiss Research Programme. (Ministry of Regional Development, PAIIZ)

Polish Market

ECONOMIC MONITOR

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• ● In December 2009 and January 2010, as in previous months in the second half of 2009, the Polish economy stood out against other countries in terms of GDP growth. Poland’s economic growth was higher than projected and higher than in other European countries.
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• In 2009 construction output increased by 3.7%.
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• Retail sales increase in most product groups.
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• On the Warsaw Stock Exchange, stock prices were very volatile in January 2010.
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• At the end of December 2009 the registered unemployment rate (claimant count rate) amounted to 11.9% versus 11.4% in November.
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• At the end of January the president signed the 2010 budget bill into law. The bill was adopted by the parliament on December 18.
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• In the fourth quarter of 2009 the Polish economy turned out to be more resistant to the global crisis than had been projected and than the economies of Polish neighbours, something which boosts optimism in forecasts for 2010 and the next years.
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WEEKLY MARKET ANALYSIS

Retail sales up again in June
Retail sales growth in nominal terms accelerated in June to 6.4% y-o-y from 4.3% y-o-y in May. The increase was higher than expected. In real terms, retail sales growth accelerated to 4.5% y-o-y from 2.0% y-o-y. June was a consecutive month with retail sales figures stronger than expected, which indicates that consumption is recovering after it slowed significantly at the beginning of the year. Private consumption is driven by an improvement on the labour market coupled with a rise in disposable incomes. In Q2 2010 retail sales grew by around 3% y-o-y in nominal terms and around 1% y-o-y in real terms. On the basis of retail sales and industrial production data, it can be estimated that the GDP growth rate was close to 3%.

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