The Business in Małopolska Centre is already working!
“Business in Małopolska is not only an office of investor services and economic promotion of Małopolska. It is also a new space for discussions and exchanges of experiences related to the most important economic matters in the country and worldwide”
emphasized Krzysztof Krzysztofiak, the President of Małopolska Regional Development Agency S.A., during the inauguration of Business in Małopolska Centre at the seat of Krakow Technology Park.
The inauguration was also attended by representatives of project partners: Marek Sowa, a Managing member of Małopolskie Voivodeship, and Sławomir Kopeć, the President of Krakow Technology Park. “We have a lot of work to do and many efforts to make but we will succeed in Małopolska", the Centre hosts jointly assured the guests including Stanisław Kracik, the Voivode of Małopolskie, Kazimierz Burakiewicz, the Deputy Mayor of Cracow, and foreign investors.
The Centre, a specialised office of investor services, has been established in order to help foreign companies interested in investing in Małopolska and to support local small and medium-sized enterprises and their export potential. CeBIM is a joint initiative - successfully carried out thanks to Invest in Małopolska project - between Malopolska Regional Development Agency S.A., Krakow Technology Park and the Marshal Office of Małopolskie Voivodeship.
The actions planned by the Centre include, among others, the organisation of investors’ annual meetings (Annual “Business in Małopolska” Meeting). The first inauguration meeting was held during the solemn opening of CeBIM under the name ”Regions create the world”. Reflecting the special character of the event, the famous Nobel Prize-winning economist Edward C. Prescott gave a lecture. Professor Prescott received the prize for his contribution to the theory of macroeconomics in 2004. The professor explained the role of time consistency in managing economic policy and what factors constitute the driving forces of economic cycles.
The lecture opening the CeBIM’s activities was dedicated to the economy of Central Europe. The guests heard an optimistic theory which stated that Poland will soon be among the rich and developing countries. “You are richer than your grandparents and your grandchildren will be even richer”, assured Edward C. Prescott, who has already visited Poland several times.
The Annual ”Business in Małopolska” meeting was also an occasion for a discussion entitled "Regions create the world", in which the following figures participated: Roża Thun, Member of the European Parliament, whose statement was transmitted from Brussels, Ewa Porębska, President of Motorola Polska Sp. z o.o., Stanisław Kracik, Voivode of Małopolska, Professor Bolesław Domański, from Jagiellonian University and Wawrzyniec Smoczyński, editor of “Polityka” weekly”.
At the end of the event the hosts of CeBIM unveiled the logo of the new institution and the guests saw an installation prepared by Cracow Festival Office, connected with the Business in Małopolska symbol and the Małopolska Tree of Investment and Innovation. It should be mentioned that the 500 kg 5-meter high sculpture was designed by Aleksander Janicki and produced in Krakow Technology Park as part of the Invest in Małopolska project. The point of The Małopolska Tree of Investment and Innovation is to break from the regional economy’s previous image, associated mainly with the promotion of traditional products. The sculpture symbolizes not only innovation, development and new technologies, but also care for natural environment and resources. It is worth mentioning that the Tree is not only a work of art but also has purely utility functions. Through a built-in touch monitor you can connect to the internet, take pictures, send e-mails and - in the future – hold a conference. The installation has one further function: it is a symbolic prediction of a new project of Business in Małopolska, created by Malopolska Regional Development Agency, Krakow Technology Park and the Marshal Office of Małopolskie Voivodeship. The project’s purpose is to combine the efforts of the three institutions and improve the quality of investor and export services. The sculpture is mobile, being designed to accompany many promotional events all around the world, and to become a recognizable symbol of the region’s modernity.
Companies which want to operate in Małopolska will be able to settle most of their formal affairs and obtain assistance in developing their activity. The promotion of Małopolska includes the participation in the most important European and global economic events e.g. the Expo 2010 exhibition in Shanghai.
The Business in Małopolska Centre is located in the area of Krakow Technology Park, which is part of the Special Economic Zone in Cracow.
