First grant contracts have been signed. Almost PLN 17.5m from the Norway Grants already on their way to Polish companies

On 8 June, PARP signed the first 5 contracts with beneficiaries of the Business Development and Innovation Programme. A total of almost PLN 17.5m will go to five companies. Projects that introduce technologies improving quality of life, green technologies and innovation in marine or inland waters will be granted from the Norway Grants. This is only the beginning of the process of signing contracts for projects. In total, 104 projects  were granted  in three competition schemes with thegrants amounting to around EUR 73m.

Marcin Czyża, Deputy President of the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development, or PARP, signed the first contracts with the competition beneficiaries at the PARP headquarters. Among them are Firma Usługowo Handlowa HOLDMAR Szymański Sławomir, WTW Poland Sp. z o.o. and MS Consulting Group s.c. M. Sobczak, M. Sobczak-Solarska. In addition, two more contracts were signed electronically using qualified signatures with Jeven Sp. z o.o. and 3Bird K. Gajko J. Ksepko sp.j. The meeting was also attended by Konrad Konieczny, Programme Officer at Innovation Norway, the Norwegian partner in the programme.

‘In total, as many as 78 projects will receive funding amounting to nearly EUR 50 m under the Green industry innovation  scheme, 12 projects amounting to nearly EUR 10 m under Blue growth scheme, and 14 projects amounting to just nearly EUR 14 m under the Welfare technologies  scheme. We are glad that thanks to the Norway Grants we will be able not only to improve the competitiveness of Polish small and medium-sized enterprises, but also to support them in developing and implementing innovative technologies, solutions, processes, products and services important for our environment and society,’ comments Marcin Czyża, Deputy President of the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development. ‘As many as 27 of the projects supported by the programme are partnership projects implemented in cooperation with Norwegian entities,’ he adds.

Under the Green industry innovation  scheme, grants were awarded to investment in the broad sector of industrial production, as well as in the waste processing sector. Support was available for development and investment projects which are to contribute to increasing competitiveness of companies and yet to reducing the negative impact on the environment, either in the entrepreneur’s own business or in the products which will be placed on the market. ‘We are keen to stimulate green innovation as well as business development and competitiveness on the Polish market. Contemporary companies that want to develop cannot ignore environmental issues in this process. This is a path worth following, as the future of all of us is at stake,’ assesses Anders Eide, Ambassador of Norway in Poland.

Funding will also be provided (under the Welfare technologies scheme) for technological solutions that will improve the quality of life of the most vulnerable groups in society; in particular, they will address the needs and improve the quality of life of older people.

The project of Firma Usługowo Handlowa HOLDMAR Szymański Sławomir involves the implementation of innovative processing scrap metal mixtures and electro-waste. ‘We are glad that the grants will enable us to develop more dynamically, which will contribute to both the development of the company and the environment. We expect that the implementation of the innovation will translate into an increase in the amount of waste recycled and recovered and a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions discharged into the atmosphere,’ admits owner Sławomir Szymański.

The aim of the project of WTW Poland Sp. z o.o. is to develop and introduce a new product into its offer, a special group of turbines to be used in small hydroelectric power plants. ‘The funding will allow us not only to develop the company. Our plans involve an information campaign which will increase the social awareness of innovation in inland waters, including new processes and products,’ explains Mateusz Wiszniewski, Vice-President of the Board of WTW Poland Sp. z o.o.

MS Consulting Group s.c. M. Sobczak, M. Sobczak-Solarska wants to introduce an innovative service Independent Living into the market. In addition, the aim of the project is to develop and implement technological solutions that support everyday life of the elderly and improve safety and quality of life.

PARP will continue signing contracts with beneficiaries until the end of 2021. Moreover, in June it is planned to announce the results (list of projects recommended for funding) in the last of the four competition schemes, i.e. the Small Grants Scheme for female enterprises.

For more information, visit www.parp.gov.pl/funduszenorweskie and www.eog.gov.pl.

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Business Development and Innovation is a programme supporting the development of companies operated by the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development. It is one of twelve programmes developed and financed under the Norway Grants and the EEA Financial Mechanism in Poland. It was developed by PARP in cooperation with the Ministry of Investment and Development and the Financial Mechanism Office in Brussels, the Norwegian Embassy and the Norwegian innovation agency, Innovation Norway.