2014
The Polish Agency for Enterprise Development regularly adjusts
its information and advisory offer to the changing needs of entrepreneurs and emerging new communication channels. The
Agency currently operates around a dozen sector knowledge
databases on its websites, concerning inter alia international
expansion, innovation, e-economy and public procurement.
Knowledge databases offer e-learning courses, e-books, transmissions from training meetings and conferences, information on possibility to apply for support, publications and research results. Information and tools provided on all PARP websites, which may be
accessed via the main website of the Agency (www.parp.gov.pl),
are put to good use by over a million internet visitors a month.
PARP has also initiated the establishment of the National SME
Services Network (KSU), with its overriding objective being to
support the development and promote entrepreneurship
in Poland. Currently KSU associates 170 cooperating institutions
where over 1100 consultants provide business consultancy
services to enterprises with regard to starting, conducting and
developing business activity. For information about the support
from KSU, please visit www.ksu.parp.gov.pl.
If you are interested in the full offer of support programmes, information and advisory activities available at the Agency, please
visit the “Our activities” section at the PARP website which provides detailed information about all activities of the Agency.
You are welcome to use our services!
Polish Agency for Enterprise Development
ul. Pańska 81/83, 00-834 Warszawa
Phone: + 48 22 432 80 80, fax: + 48 22 432 86 20
www.parp.gov.pl
PARP Information Point
Phone: + 48 22 432 89 91-93
0 801 332 202
e-mail: info@parp.gov.pl
Polish Agency for
Enterprise Development
and infrastructure and a chance to cooperate
in implementing large international projects.
Thanks to cooperation of the Polish Agency
for Enterprise Development and the ESA,
entrepreneurs also gained access to information about European procurement, tenders
and calls for proposals in the space sector.
Fot. Archiwum PARP
The Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP) is a government agency that has
been providing support to entrepreneurs since the year 2000. The objective of PARP is the development of small and medium-sized enterprises in Poland, i.e. establishment of new companies
and increase in their potential, strengthening of competitive position based on innovation and
modern technologies, improvement of qualifications, creating a business-friendly environment
and providing appropriate conditions for conducting business activity. While performing its
activities supporting entrepreneurs, business environment institutions, local government units
and centres of higher education, PARP utilizes funds from the state budget and the European
Union. In the years 2007-2015, the Agency has been, and is, responsible for the implementation
of measures under three operational programmes: Innovative Economy, Human Capital and
Development of Eastern Poland. Currently, it actively participates in developing assumptions
for support programmes under the 2014-2020 financial perspective.
The involvement of PARP in international fora
and organisations supporting entrepreneurship and innovation translates into high quality of provided services and their convergence with
the most recent global trends. The membership in TAFTIE (The European Network of Innovation
Agencies) guarantees constant access to the best practices followed by the leading European
innovation agencies. In 2014, PARP chairs the work of 28 TAFTIE member agencies.
10 years together in the European Union
May 2014 marks the 10th anniversary of Poland’s accession to the European Union. Over that
time, PARP has supported entrepreneurs in their development, implementing programmes
financed i.a. from the EU funds, with over 12 600 contracts signed for the amount exceeding
PLN 29 billion. Projects co-financed within the last decade include highly innovative investments,
i.e. involving world’s first implementation of a given technology research and development
projects, as well as projects introducing the results of research and development. Other activities
include advisory projects, such as protection of industrial property; also included are training and
infrastructural projects.
For many years the Agency has implemented measures aimed at internationalisation of Polish
small and medium-sized enterprises. PARP organises and co-organises economic missions and
cooperative exchanges for Polish entrepreneurs at the most important fairs around the world.
It provides a database of cooperation offers for enterprises (available online at www.een.org.pl),
enabling them to find foreign business and technology partners. Within the framework of international cooperation, PARP undertakes numerous activities promoting Poland and Polish
entrepreneurs in foreign markets. Cooperation is established with foreign institutions, such as
the Russian Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, the Chinese Shanghai SMEs Development Service Centre or the Korea Importers Association (KOIMA). The Agency implements
26 bilateral cooperation agreements. Since 2013, PARP has been implementing a pilot project
Polish Silicon Bridge (financed under the Operational Programme Innovative Economy), the
objective of which is to support Polish firms from new-tech sectors in their expansion to the US
market and thus to accelerate their development.
The accession of Poland to the European Space Agency (ESA) meant that Polish entrepreneurs
received an opportunity to obtain up to 100% of funding for the implementation of the best projects in the field of space and satellite technologies, access to world class research laboratories
Popularising and promoting entrepreneurship development compliant with the concept of
Corporate Social Responsibility, PARP, as the first institution in Poland, enabled micro-, small
and medium-sized enterprises to obtain non-repayable grants for initiatives consisting in
CSR implementation. This was possible due to a project entitled Enhancement of regional
competitiveness through Corporate Social Responsibility under the Swiss-Polish Cooperation Programme. Under their projects, enterprises i.a. create and implement CSR strategies and
standards on environmental, human resources and social level; they obtain the relevant certificates and implement pro-environmental investments. The aim is to make Polish firms operate in
a way that is transparent, ethical, environmentally and employee friendly.
To support enterprise development, PARP launched the Innovation Loan Fund which constitutes an excellent support tool for micro and small enterprises; simultaneously it encourages
Business Angels and Venture Capital funds who invest in highly innovative companies to take
an increased investment risk. The Fund extends loans for up to 8 years, to the amount twice
higher than the amount invested by capital investors. The loans range from PLN 200000 to PLN
2 million for innovative projects and may be granted to microenterprises or small enterprises for
the launch (development) of products or services and their first placement on the market, or for
development and extension of activities (increase in production capacity, market development
or development of products and services).
The Enterprise Research Centre was established at the Agency 6 years ago to conduct research
on entrepreneurship, innovation, human resources and services supporting the business activity. The research results provide a basis for drafting assumptions for other support programmes
responding to the identified needs of entrepreneurs. The results include annual publications,
studies and reports, including the Report on the Condition of the Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Sector in Poland.