”Business in Małopolska: regions create the world”

On 19 November the Business in Małopolska Centre (CeBiM) is to officially begin its activities as a specialized investor services office. The registered office of CeBiM will be at the business centre in Czyżyne, within the area of Krakow Technology Park. The Centre will become a place where an investor can settle most of his affairs and receive help and support in implementing investments in Małopolska. The quality of those services is guaranteed by the cooperation and experience of three institutions which have contributed to the centre’s establishment: Krakow Technology Park, Malopolska Regional Development Agency and the Marshal Office of Małopolskie Voivodeship. The main task of CeBiM will be to service the investors arriving in Małopolska and to promote the voivodeship at the national and international level. It should be mentioned that the aforementioned institutions have being cooperating for over a year now, in connection with the implementation of the project “Invest in Małopolska”.

About the project “Invest in Małopolska”: this project, carried out under Measure 8.1. of the Małopolska Regional Operational Programme 2007-2013, is the answer to the need for actions within the international economic promotion of Małopolska. The project’s main objective is to promote the social and economic position of Małopolska at the international level, in particular within the scope of presenting the region’s investment potential. The core group of beneficiaries covers individuals, decision-making and consulting centres related to the investment market; and opinion-forming environments (sector media, associations and organisations, representatives of foreign institutions of investment support) at the national, European and international level.

The project comprises the establishment of direct relations with investors from countries such as Japan, South Korea, the U.S., Israel, and those within Western Europe; the preparation and distribution of information on Małopolska’s investment potential (real estate, human resources, investment support), cooperation with investors in Małopolska, new methods of business communication (Internet, sector publications, tailor-made materials), the organisation of promotional events and the awarding of the best investment projects in the region.
The projects planned by CeBiM include the organisation of the Annual “Business in Małopolska” meeting. Each meeting will be held under a different name.  To begin, we suggest “Business in Małopolska: regions create the world”. The Annual “Business in Małopolska” meeting is addressed especially to all representatives of foreign investors. This year’s meeting will be truly special: Edward C. Prescott, winner of the 2004 Nobel Prize in Economics, for his contribution to the theory of macroeconomics, is to attend the meeting by special invitation of Krakow Technology Park. Professor Prescott is going to give a lecture on the economy of Central Europe. Business in Małopolska is not only an office for investor services and economic promotion. It is also the creation of a space for discussions on important issues relating to a widely conceived economy. This year there will be a panel discussion “Business in Małopolska: regions create the world”, to which the following figures have been invited: Róża Thun (Member of the European Parliament), Ewa Porębska (President of the Management Board of Motorola Polska Sp. z .o.o.), Stanisław Kracik (Voivode of Małopolskie), Wawrzyniec Smoczyński (editor of “Polityka” weekly) and Prof. Bolesław Domański from the Jagiellonian University. The discussion will be chaired by Sławomir Kosieliński from “Computerworld” weekly.

The symbol of Business in Małopolska is the sculpture “Małopolska Tree of Investment and Innovation”, by Aleksander Janicki. The idea was to prepare a symbol which would depart from the previous image of Małopolska’s economy, based on the promotion of traditional products. Today Małopolska’s economy is experiencing a real transformation: it is becoming modern and innovative. The multimedia sculpture of a tree is designed to represent advanced solutions, development and innovations whilst, at the same time, reflecting the region’s care for ecology, nature and natural environment. The Małopolska Tree of Investment and Innovation will be exhibited for the first time in Cracow, standing by Krakow Technology Park, right beside the Business in Małopolska Centre. The annual meeting of investors will be concluded with the presentation of the multimedia sculpture.