Our partners

The Foundation for Lubelskie Development is a non-governmental organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life of the inhabitants of the Lubelskie Voivodeship by promoting the development of entrepreneurship and the knowledge economy. The Foundation is a certified member of the National System of Services which supports the development of entrepreneurship and innovation in Poland. It also has implemented a quality management system in compliance with PN EN ISO 9001:2009 for the provision of advisory services, information and training. The Foundation’s offer is addressed to entrepreneurs and people interested in starting a business, local governments, rural residents (farmers and their families), and persons employed, unemployed and at risk of social exclusion. The Foundation offers them training, internships, consultancy services and job placement but also economic and financial consulting.

The Foundation is the leader of Lublin Eco-Energy Cluster. Through cooperation with entrepreneurs, communities, universities, research institutions and NGOs, the Foundation is the initiator and executor of activities (projects, concepts) associated with the development of the renewable energy industry and improvement of energy efficiency. The Foundation is the owner of the Business Incubator, which provides services for new start-ups and SMEs especially in the fields of renewable sources, energy efficiency, energy-saving buildings and IT technologies.

Information about the RIS3 of the partner region:

Regional level document: “Regional Innovation Strategy for the Lubelskie Voivodeship 2020”
Legal owner: Lubelskie Voivodeship
Web: www.lubelskie.pl and www.rsi.lubelskie.pl

Key challenges for innovation policy 

The Regional Innovation Strategy for the Lubelskie Voivodeship 2020 elaborates in detail the Development Strategy for the Lubelskie Voivodeship 2020 concerning the development of research and innovation for smart specialisation. The strategy mission is to:

• Support the selective model of the Voivodeship development based on the creative innovation model, and 
  
• Initiate the process of technological and non-technological transformation of endogenous development potentials leading to: 
  
  • an increase of knowledge absorption capabilities and productivity of the economy (by 2020)
    
  • diversification of the economy structure
    
  • an increase of the share of industries and services with high added value and high growth potential in the economy (by 2030).
    

The economy of Lubelskie is dominated by low and medium-low technology sectors and the mission of the strategic development is to actively engage in technological as well as non-technological transformation of these sectors. As a diagnosis of the previous experience of the OECD countries shows, it should produce effects comparable to the effects of investments in the high technology sectors.

Smart Specialisation Areas in Lubelskie

Four areas of regional smart specialisation for the Lubelskie Voivodeship have been identified:

• Bioeconomy
  
• Medicine and health
  
• Low carbon emission energy
  
• IT and automation.

Main Objectives of the RIS3

The major objective of the RIS3 for the Lubelskie Voivodeship is to build an effective entrepreneurial discovery process for regional growth in the areas of highest potential as well as good communication between the stakeholder groups that addresses the strategy’s priorities (business, science and research, business environment and public administration). The vision of development of the Lubelskie Voivodeship, as specified in the Regional Innovation Strategy for the Lubelskie Voivodeship 2020, assumes that the region will:

             - Effectively use its endogenous potential           
             - Create products and services with high added value          
             - Be open to innovation            
             - Cooperate and link with the outside world both economically and scientifically.

Funding

Two priorities of the 2014-2020 perspective are essential for the implementation of the Regional Innovation Strategy for the Lubelskie Voivodeship 2020: 

• Priority 1. Research and Innovation 
  
• Priority 3. Competitiveness of Enterprises.
  

For priority 1 the allocation of funding amounts to PLN 100,4 mln (4,5%) and for priority 3 it amounts to PLN 291,6 mln (13,07%). The specific objectives are strongly linked to cooperation between science and business sectors in order to: (1a) increase R&D commercialization activity, (1b) increase enterprise’s R&D activity, (3a) support SMEs’ development, (3b) increase of the share of international trade for SMEs, (3c) increase the use of innovation by SMEs.
Additionally, there are a few national programmes co-financed with EU funds that are dedicated to R&D support and SME competiveness: 

1. Operational Programme Smart Growth 2014-2020
   
2. Operational Programme Eastern Poland 2014-2020
   
3. as well as programmes at the EU level (i.e. H2020, COSME).
   

The Rural Development Programme for 2014-2020 in Poland may also boost the competitiveness of enterprises.