August 2, 2018
Since 2012, copies of the GEM report in both Polish and English were distributed to all the main institutions, universities and entrepreneurship centres, think tanks and at meetings and conferences attended by GEM members. It is also available on the website.
In addition, the results of GEM are presented in the Polish Parliament and its special committees on innovation, the economy and SMEs. PARP also uses GEM data to draw conclusions and recommendations for different economic policy objectives, especially for policies stimulating entrepreneurship and innovation capacity of polish SMEs. Data is also presented at special meetings in the Ministry. For example, in 2016 when a new national strategy for responsible development was being discussed, information from GEM was used at this meeting.
Where are articles published?
Considerable media coverage is obtained on the results published by GEM. Some examples of this coverage in 2017 is given below
Entrepreneurship programs
The entrepreneurship support system in Poland is based on the cooperation of various institutions on a national and regional level. PARP is one of the executive agencies operating on the national level and provides support from EU funds and state budget resources. The main areas of operation of the Agency include development of innovative entrepreneurship, investment in innovation, start-up market and internationalisation of enterprises, increase in competitiveness and innovation of the Eastern Poland macro-region, as well as adjusting the competences of employees to labour market needs. All activities of the Agency are implemented with particular consideration of the SME sector’s needs. The 6 major areas of the activities implemented by the PARP are:
- Start-up market
- Training and skills improvement
- Investment in innovation
- Services for entrepreneurs
- Internationalisation and,
- Infrastructure for development.
According to the start-up market area PARP’s proposals for new entrepreneurs are for example:
1. Innovation loan fund
The program is addressed to companies at the start-up stage that need stable financing for further development. The Innovation Loan Fund is a debt financial instrument aimed to solve the problem of the equity gap in the SME sector. The money from the Innovation Loan Fund is used to enable the development of new companies. However, the entrepreneur must find a private investor to co-fund. This investor could be a Venture Capital (VC) fund or a business angel.
2. Scale UP - Start in Poland
Scale UP is a pilot competition implemented within the framework of the InnoLAB program and the government Start In Poland program. It is focused on the acceleration, i.e. speeding up the development, of start-ups. The acceleration is a program dedicated to micro- or small entrepreneurs, lasting from 3 to 6 months, developed in cooperation with large companies and aimed at preparing a product or service for commercialization. It includes, in particular, advisory and mentoring support as well as financial support, with the aim of accelerating the process of creating a product or service that may be used by large enterprises.
Another example for entrepreneurs within the framework of PARP activities is support for entrepreneurs wishing to implement innovation.
3. Research to the Market
As part of the “Research to the market”, entrepreneurs from the SME sector receive support for implementing the results of R&D work carried out either by themselves or on their behalf. The result is to place new or significantly improved products (goods, services) on the market. In order to receive the co-financing, the entrepreneur must have an invention which is either protected or submitted for patent protection.
This is a shortened version of a chapter that first appeared in the publication The Influence of GEM on Policy 2017/18.
If you would like information about forming a National Team in your country or sponsoring GEM’s work, email us at info@gemconsortium.org.