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Regions for Economic Change: “Fostering competitiveness through innovative technologies, products and healthy communities ”
7/8 March January 2007, Brussels
1. Contact Details:
Gender: Title:
Family name: PawłowskaFirst name: Kinga
Institution: Nowy Sacz School of Business- National-Louis University
Country: Poland
Street: Zielona 27
City: Nowy Sacz
Post Code: 33-300
Email:
Phone: +48 18 44 99 460
Fax: +48 18 44 99 400
2. Project Description
2.1Title:
The Cluster of Multimedia and Information Systems as the element of the Multimedia City.
2.2 3-5 keywords classifying your project:
R&D, technology transfer, innovation, synergy, regional development
2.3Summary of the project (history, structure, partners)
The Cluster of Multimedia and Information Systems is a part of Multimedia City which is being developed at the moment as a project and planned to be built in Nowy Sacz province. The initial project of the Multimedia City was developed in Nowy Sącz School of Business – National-Louis University (Poland) in coolaboration with Malopolska Agency for Regional Development and Nowy Sacz City Council.
Cluster of Multimedia and Information Systems was established in 28 September 2006 as the initiative of the firms and institutions from Malopolska Region. At this time cluster consisting of more than 50 firms mostly from Malopolska, Mazovie, and Silesia. The firms associated in the cluster are operating on IT and multimedia sector. The activity profile of the Cluster is concetrated on the three, big fields of applied multimedia solutions and information systems: business, education and entertainment. Specialization in the above-mentioned areas and its combination with IT and multimedia will allow to offer complex products and services in the inimitable sets. Concentrated competencies and the state-of-the-art infrastructure facilities allowing to produce movie, graphic and sound in connection with development of information architecture, applications and data transfer system will make possible to produce up to date, innovative solutions, products, and services. The wide set of clusters' firms competencies from e-marketing, mobile technology, programming through animation, movie production down to e-government, e-learning etc. is really its competetive advantage which guarantee achieving synergy effect and finally cluster activity success which will resulting in regional development. The cornerstone of cluster profile is R&D activities which are usually not available for SMEs when they are working separetly. The cooperation in the frame of the cluster assumed also common national and international promotion, running common implementation projects and gaining new clients.
The Cluster is projected as a live chain of convergent technology and business. Knowledge transfer between firms from cluster is projected in the three dimenions:
1.access to R&D Centre findings,
2.knowledge exchange and internal recommendation wortal,
3.postgraduate professional education system for representatives of the firm associated in cluster.
The Multimedia City is uniqe and pro-innovative venture not only from its activity profile point of view. Uniqueness of the project conception is based on achieving synergy effect as a result of combining several mechanism and institutional solutions supporting proinnovative ventures in Polish economy which previously were running separately. In one place and in the framework of the one organizational system is planned the combination of the functioning rules and conceptions of: the science-technology park, R&D Centre, Entrepreneurship Incubator, Cluster, investment fund, educational system and multimedia partnership.
2.4Description of the project objectives and the results
Objectives:
1.Fostering regional development
2. Linking business with education and research
3. Fostering SMEs innovation through carrying out R&D activities
4. Increasing know-how and technology transfer within clusters' SMEs
5. Boosting Malopolska SMEs at the European scale - conferences, professional trades
6. Building the regional cadre for modern economy in the IT and multimedia sector
Results:
1. R&D activities
2. Business cooperation with European SMEs operating on IT and multimedia market in the frame of common projects
3. Cooperation with other European multimedia clusters in the frame of common promotional activities and cooperation strategy
4. Attendance in the European funded project SMART OffInno+ aiming and building links between SME and R&D sector at European level (e.g. creating the know-how and experience exchange wortal)
5. New Technology Practice Programm- unique internship program for students from Malopolska region prepared by clusters' firms- bridging business with science and practice with theory in order to build up the cadre for modern economy
6. Attendance in the CeBIT trade in Hannover in collaboration with Malopolska Agency for Regional Development
Results:
- Development of Cluster
- 3 R&D projects being developed
- Webpage and communication portal
- Common promotion of Cluster firms (common promotional materials, gadgets etc)
- Dissemination of Cluster products
2.5Transferability– success factors – lessons learned
Lessons learned from cluster development:
- SMEs in Poland are searching for possiblilities to grow and are ready for involvement in research actions
- SMEs in Poland are limitied to act alone, need a strong network
- SMEs in Poland are ready to cooperate in competitive environment
2.6Other comments: (i.e. relevance of cross cutting themes such as gender equality, non discrimination, sustainability and demography)
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3. Funding sources: (Please indicated which funding was used, name of the programme)
3.1Total cost:
126 million Euro
3.2EU contribution:
Planned 100 million Euro
3.3EU Programme:
3.4Other funding sources:
Privite funds, venture capital