Kielce – from idea to business. Projects for the development of entrepreneurship
Over the last year, Kielce obtained funding for the implementation of several projects aimed at the development of innovative companies, transforming business ideas into startups or supporting young people on the labor market. These are initiatives aimed at attracting new companies, talented people, but also large business and international startups to the city.
POLAND PRIZE POWERED BY KIELCE TECHNOLOGY PARK
The project involves recruiting 60 foreign startups from countries such as Ukraine, Belarus, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Croatia. After the preliminary evaluation, this year 36 of the most promising companies will be selected to work for the Świętokrzyskie companies.
– In the first stage, the so-called soft-landing, the originators will have to set up companies in Poland, prepare an initial cost estimate and development plan, and establish relationships with technology recipients, i.e. the mentioned entrepreneurs, to learn about their needs. They will receive support for these tasks in the amount of up to PLN 50,000. Lawyers, business mentors and mentors will help in the implementation of the above, who will guide them step by step through the most important stages – says Justyna Lichosik, director of the KTP.
If the ideas prove to be satisfactory for the companies, letters of intent will be signed, which will give startups the green light to further develop solutions and their test implementations. They will receive another pool of money for this – up to PLN 250.000. In the first place, however, the so-called scouts will focus on acquiring startups from outside Poland with the most interesting innovative solutions. They will reach dozens of the most promising foreign markets in the world with their offer. Particular attention will be paid to solutions that will contribute to the greatest extent to the development of Industry 4.0. It is about such specializations as Industrial Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence and related industries. The project will be implemented until the end of October 2023.
STARTUP PLATFORMS START IN PODKARPACKIE – ŚWIĘTOKRZYSKI REGION
The main goal of the project is to support the development of startup innovation through a comprehensive incubation program, thanks to which entrepreneurs can transform their idea into a product/service. The recruitment to the Startup Platform may be attended by an originator/ team of originators who have an innovative idea at least nationwide in the following industries: aviation, automotive, construction, IT / ICT. The conditio for participation in the project is the creation of a capital company based on the submitted innovative idea, and then registering it in one of the voivodeships of Eastern Poland: Lubelskie, Podkarpackie, Podlasie, Świętokrzyskie or Warmińsko-Mazurskie. Application for the Startup Platforms project takes place after logging into the LSI1420 system available at: https://lsi1420.parp.gov.pl/. The idea undergoes an initial formal and content-related evaluation, made by the Qualification Committee, and the final one, made by the Expert Panel. The main criteria for evaluating an idea by the Expert Panel are: innovation of the concept, competitive advantages, business potential, qualifications of the team that is to develop the product. In order to proceed to the final evaluation stage, a positive result from the initial evaluation must be obtained. For originators qualified for the incubation process, industry experts will be required to prepare recommendations on the subject and type of specialist services that will enable the creation of an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) and its introduction to the market. Incubation will last on average 6 months: from a minimum of 3 to a maximum of 8 months. The incubation manager, together with the startup, taking into account the recommendations of the Expert Panel, will prepare a detailed incubation program with a description of the work and activities recommended to be performed, in order to refine the idea, create a business model and MVP. After the incubation period and a positive recommendation of the platform, the company may apply for a subsidy from the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development in the amount of up to PLN 1 million.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY IN YOUR COMPANY
A project under which the Kielce Technology Park provides services in the field of intellectual property protection. This is another type of support addressed to entrepreneurs, especially those taking their first steps in business. The new type of support is provided thanks to co-financing from European funds applied for by the Patent Office of the Republic of Poland. The so-called service operators in each of the provinces. One of such operators is KPT. Entrepreneurs from the Świętokrzyskie and Mazowieckie regions can benefit from the help of the Park. KPT provides the service together with a patent attorney who advises companies on how to protect intellectual property rights and how to safely use them in business transactions. The support in question is to first make the interested entrepreneur aware of what intellectual property resources he has. In order to decide on their protection, they must be identified and their role in the enterprise defined. The next step should be to choose the security method. This is where a patent attorney will help companies. Recruitment of companies to the program is conducted by the Patent Office. After the enterprise qualifies for the program, the office directs it to the operator from the voivodeship in which it is registered.
BUSINESS ACADEMY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
The main goal of the project is to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic by supporting young people (aged 18-29) who are unemployed and lost their jobs after March 1, 2020 in setting up and running a business. The project entitled "The Business Academy for Young People" is implemented by the Integration and Development Association in partnership with the Municipality of Kielce / Kielce Technology Park. The project is co-financed by the European Union under the European Social Fund. Support provided by the European Social Fund. Implementation period: 01/01/2021 – 30/06/2022. 30 people aged 18 to 29 will receive motivational support aimed at substantive and mental preparation for self-employment. After passing a training cycle and a positive assessment, they will be able to apply for a development grant in the amount of PLN 23,000, and then the bridging support – an average of PLN 2,000 per month for a period of 6 months. People residing or studying in the Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, importantly, not registered in the records of labor offices and those who lost employment after March 1, 2020 as a result of the pandemic, could apply for the project. Project website: www.biznes.sir.com.pl.
