New initiative promoting Polish-British innovation launched - minister
The aim of the UK-Polish TechChallenge initiative is to bring together large corporations and tech start-ups and to support and promote innovation in both countries, said Minister of Development Jadwiga Emilewicz during a press conference on Thursday.
As she noted, through this programme Poland wants to strengthen its relations with Great Britain, by supporting a partnership of large companies and innovative start-ups. "As a result, the innovation of Polish and British economies will increase," said Emilewicz, who together with the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP) and the British Embassy in Warsaw inaugurated the partnership.
The pilot edition of the UK-Polish TechChallenge will focus on the fintech and cleantech sectors. During the programme, large firms will identify challenges for which they need technological solutions, and start-ups will then pitch innovative solutions for them. "We want to recruit 20 startups in Poland and at the same time 20 startups will be chosen in Great Britain. We are also recruiting four large companies in both countries that will take part in the project," pointed out Emilewicz.
She stated that, in March, in London, the first presentation by four large British technological firms would take place for four large Polish companies. "In April, the four large British companies will come to Poland, where they will be able to see the offers of 20 Polish start-ups," she added. A training programme would also be held during this time. "We hope that this exchange will lead to interesting investments and the development of interesting products," she stated.
The Polish Agency for Enterprise Development is responsible for the implementation of the UK-Polish TechChallenge project in Poland. As PARP Vice-President Adam Banaszek said during the conference, due to the degree of economic development and interest in innovation, the British market is "an excellent sector for the expansion of Polish start-ups and young technology companies."
