The forum focussed on development prospects for Polish-American projects in such sectors as energy, biomedicine, payments and finance, IT systems, and creative industry technologies. Deputy Minister Kacperczyk underscored that innovation plays a key role in shaping the future. “I encourage companies and research centres from Poland and the United States to build innovation networks today that will pay off in the future in the form of mutually beneficial cooperation,” said the deputy chief of Polish diplomacy while opening the forum. At the same time, she pointed out that government should equip innovation leaders with the means for achieving success. “We must give them a hand when they need it. We must advance cooperation,” observed the deputy minister. “It is my hope that the Innovation Forum will usher in many joint projects and fruitful cooperation between Polish and US partners,” she added.
Parallel to the Innovation Forum, the Poland-US Innovation Council has come together for the first time. The mission of this intergovernmental body is to deepen Polish-American innovation cooperation. The council was set up during President Barack Obama’s visit to Poland last June. It supports companies, universities and research institutes which invest in R&D projects in the technology, defence, energy and health sectors. The meeting saw the signing of a statement of intent, which lays down the rules of innovation collaboration.
Held on 17-21 November, the Poland-US Innovation Week has been organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Ministry of the Economy, Ministry of the Environment, and a number of agencies promoting innovative solutions in the Polish economy, such as the National Centre for Research and Development, Industrial Development Agency, Polish Agency for Enterprise Development, and Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency. The project’s strategic partners are numerous Polish and American private sector entities and NGOs. The Polish delegation is accompanied by over 150 representatives of companies, R&D institutes, universities, and organizations implementing innovative projects.
The event’s programme includes seminars in Los Angeles, at Berkeley and Stanford universities; as well as workshops on fostering cooperation among SMEs and start-ups, to be held at Rocket Space in San Francisco. Over 25 study visits are scheduled for the Polish participants, who will be hosted by American institutions and companies that have been successfully implementing innovations and modern technologies. Furthermore, a debate about women’s role in innovation will take place at Stanford University, while the San Francisco Design Centre will host an event promoting the latest technological solutions developed in Poland.
Photo © MFA
Source: Press Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Republic of Poland