1. The Offer

   Kraków Technology Park offers:

   • development sites
   • office space to rent
   • public support in the form of tax relief or investment grants for companies investing in the SEZ
   • full service for investors
     
     
2. Kraków Technology Park Special Economic Zone - Who are we?
   
   Kraków’s special economic zone was created at the end of 1997. Kraków Technology Park Ltd (KTP) is the company which has been successfully managing the zone. The company was founded by Kraków’s three largest universities: the Cracow University of Technology, the University of Science and Technology, and the Jagiellonian University. The founders also included the City of Kraków and the local authorities of the Małopolska Voivodship. The main reasons for establishing KTP with the status of a special economic zone stemmed from identifying appropriate support instruments for restructuring the region’s industry. So far, KTP has issued 86 permits to conduct business activity in the zone. We have brought to Niepołomice the M.A.N. company - the largest greenfield development in the Małopolska Voivodship to date. The companies operating in the zone have so far created 6290 new jobs.
   
   KTP’s efforts to develop the region economically have been given recognition. In February 2006, KTP’s Board of Directors was awarded the prestigious title of “Leader of Małopolska 2005 - Best Enterprise of the Year”.
   
   

   
   
   

3. We are transforming the economy of the city and region
   
   Kraków’s special economic zone had modest beginnings - situated on 66 hectares divided into three subzones in the Kraków area. At that time, KTP was managing the smallest special economic zone in Poland. At the beginning of 2007, the zone already encompassed over 260 hectares, and now it covers 528,84 hectares. Currently, the zone operates within 17 districts in 19 subzones. Further changes to the borders of the zone are being planned, which will lead to an increase in its size.
   
   Kraków Technology Park is changing the character of the city and of the region. Kraków was once dominated by heavy industry, but now it is considered to be a city with a dynamically developing high-tech industry; KTP, together with the companies that have invested in the zone, is the showpiece of the region. In the past, the economic profile of the city was formed by the Lenin Steelworks; today, it is formed by ComArch, Motorola, ACS, Shell, Ericpol, ACS as well as other companies from the IT and advanced financial services industries.
   
   
   
   

4. We meet the expectations of investors
   
   

   Kraków Technology Park adapts its offer to the needs of investors. In the case of greenfield development, there is a possibility to establish the zone in the area chosen by the investor. For investors interested in renting office space, KTP prepares its offer in co-operation with developers operating on the local market. In this case, there is also the possibility of establishing the special economic zone for a given project in a place agreed with the investor.

   Such was the case with Affiliated Computer Services of Poland Sp. z o.o., which has opened in the special economic zone a modern centre of business process outsourcing, with a planned 500 jobs. This investment would not have been realized without establishing the SSE in the place chosen by the investor - Kraków Business Park. Currently, Kraków Business Park is one the most rapidly-developing subzones of the special economic zone, where companies from the advanced services sector invest.

   Similar decisions to extend the borders of the zone occurred in the case of M.A.N.’s investment project. The creation of this subzone had led to the dynamic development of the Niepołomice Industrial Zone, with investments from M.A.N. subcontractors and from many other companies representing traditional industries. There are plans for further expansion of the zone in this area.
   
   

   
   
   

5. We conduct pro-innovation activities
   
   In recent years, Kraków has gained the reputation of a city committed to the development of a knowledge-based economy. The natural advantages arising from Kraków’s status as a university city attract companies searching for highly-qualified personnel and support the process of technology transfer. In Kraków, the customary cooperation between universities and businesses is conducive to the development and implementation of advanced technologies. Since its inception, Kraków Technology Park has been pursuing a pro-innovation policy whose purpose is to:
   
   

   • encourage new, innovative, technology-oriented businesses,
   • initiate cooperation between the industrial sector and the academic community,
   • facilitate the transfer of know-how in the area of creating and operating a technology park and technology incubator,
   
   

   

   
   

   These goals are achieved by:

   • running projects financed from EU funds to support start-ups in the advanced technologies sector,
   • initiating and supporting activities that promote the development of new technologies,
   • participating in work on strategic documents for the development of new technologies.
     
     

6. We implement projects with EU funds

   One of the ways for Kraków Technology Park to achieve its goals is conducting projects that are financed to a great extent from European Union funds.

   The goal behind the projects run by KTP is to support pro-innovation activity, inspire cooperation between industry and the scientific world, and develop competences, services, infrastructure and financial instruments for KTP clients.

   The high substantive merit of the projects conducted by KTP allows financing them from the funds of the European Union. This allows stimulation of research and development activities that help to build knowledge-based economy. A flagship project of that type is the "Perspektywa technologiczna - Kraków 2020" [lit: Kraków 2020 Technological Perspective]. This is also how KTP's so far most important project, namely launching the Technology Incubator, was conducted.

   Besides those, KTP prepares projects focused on the development of financial support instruments (seed fund) so that firms cooperating with KTP could obtain full scope of assistance: from forming the firm, via the financing of its development, to acquisition of public assistance from the title of investing within special economic zone.

   Recently, Kraków Technology Park has obtained funding for the following projects:

   • Technology Incubator

     Krakowski Park Technologiczny (KPT) has expanded its operations, adding a technology incubator dedicated to serving micro-companies working in the field of new technologies. The establishment of the incubator was possible thanks to KPT’s project financed by the Sectoral Operational Programme - Improvement of the Competitiveness of Enterprises (SOP-ICE) for the years 2004-2006, Measure 1.3: Creation of favourable conditions for enterprises. The total cost of the project amounted to PLN 20,541,088.01.

     

     The goal behind the establishment of the technology incubator is support for the development of newly established and start-up companies in the sector of state-of-the-art technologies, and especially in the fields of information technology, telecommunications, and engineering. It is envisaged that the main tenants of the incubator will be small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as well as micro-enterprises established and managed by graduates, doctoral students, and academic staff of Kraków’s universities.

     The support for entrepreneurs of the incubator follows two tracks. The first form of support is providing entrepreneurs with the incubator's office space at an attractive price. The other form covers secretarial services, consulting on technology transfer, and legal and financial/accounting advisory services.

     As the owner and manager of the technology incubator, KPT also conducts activities that focus on promotion and support of technology transfer from universities to the economy and technological business. For this reason KPT uses, among other facilities, a professionally equipped conference hall made available for seminars and symposia.

     A number of firms currently operate within KPT’s technology incubator, all of which are characterised by new technologies and innovative use of products and/or services.

     There are a few businesses which make use of the offer of “a square metre for a zloty” and the address of KPT’s Technology Incubator.

   Another project "Małopolska Information Technology Park - Innovation Centre of Kraków Technology Park" focuses on the construction of Małopolska Information Technology Park (MPTI): a venture of Kraków Technology Park focused on information technologies, especially in the field of development of innovative firms operating in information and communication technologies: establishment of start-ups and spin-offs, broadening the range of services provided, improvement or personnel skills and qualifications, technology transfer, etc. In this way, the MPTI will become a dedicated park for Kraków Technology Park (KTP).

7. Kraków as a huge service centre

   Kraków wants to become a huge service centre for companies engaged in IT, BPO, SSC, and R&D. We hope that the financial, research, and IT centres being established in our city, which provide services for companies from all over the world, will build the brand and economic reputation of the capital of Małopolska. This process, with the active support of KTP, has already begun. Service centres have been opened in Kraków by such companies as: Royal Dutch Shell, ACS, Philip Morris, IBM, Cap Gemini, and others.
   
   
   

   

Contact
Krakow Technology Park
Al. Jana Pawła II 41L
31-864 Kraków
Tel.: (+48 12) 640 19 40
Fax: (+48 12) 640 19 45
E-mail: biuro@sse.krakow.pl
www.sse.krakow.pl