We present the ninth edition of the GEM Poland Report, prepared by the employees of the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development and the University of Economics in Katowice. The report presents the results of a unique research project currently being carried out in over 50 countries around the world, based on a uniform methodology of data collection. In it you will find information about the attitudes, behaviors and entrepreneurial aspirations of Poles, the attitude of our society towards entrepreneurship, as well as an assessment of the conditions for establishing and developing enterprises in our country. This year's edition also includes a special topic - an analysis presenting the image of Polish startups. The study was conducted in mid-2019.

We have just completed the research conducted in Poland this year, we are waiting for data from other countries. In the next edition of the GEM Polska report, we will find out how much this favorable picture of entrepreneurship in Poland will change as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and actions taken by the governments of individual countries. Taking into account the research conducted so far on the Global Financial Crisis in 2009-2010 or other crises conducted as part of the GEM project in the world, it can be expected that the decision to start a business will be postponed, the number of newly established enterprises will decrease, there will be fewer people. perceived business opportunities in their environment, fear of failure will increase. The quality of entrepreneurship may also decline due to the expected increase in companies that are established out of necessity due to the lack of job offers on the labor market, which in turn may translate into lower growth aspirations of such entities.

On the other hand, according to what Paul Romer said, "the crisis is too terrible to waste", as evidenced by the observed rapid progress in the digitization of institutions, enterprises, and society as well. Positive changes may translate into GEM indicators, especially those concerning young companies introducing new products / services or new processes / technologies. It can also be expected that the sectoral structure of young companies will change due to the increased interest in sectors based on white-collar work where remote work is possible, and that the share of people with entrepreneurial talent will increase. In a crisis, societies are more open to change, which, similarly to the robotization and automation relief developed by the Polish government, may encourage entrepreneurs to undertake development activities. One thing is for sure, the pandemic is still ongoing, so it will take time to fully assess its impact on entrepreneurship.

We invite you to read the report!