The Innovative

More R&D in companies
It may turn out that research
results are good and a solution
may be introduced but from
the economic point of view
its implementation will be
unprofitable. In this case the
money will not have to be
returned.
Interview with Izabela Wójtowicz,
the director of the Research
and Development Team of PARP
The Polish Agency for Enterprise Development
has been added many tasks connected with
the implementation of the new programmes.
Only from the Operational Programme Innovative
Economy PARP will implement several
measures. How will the functioning of the
Agency change?
There are more tasks indeed but we have been
preparing for this since the beginning of the year.
In April there was reorganization of the measures
planned for implementation and new teams were
created with specific tasks to realize. People who
will deal with implementing of given instruments
are at present busy with their preparing. Now we
have to make a few corrections with regard to the
fact that in autumn new tasks appeared. However,
it will not be a serious organizational change.
Fot. Piotr Waniorek/Żelazna Studio
We try to employ people with specific knowledge
and experience so that they fit better in the specifics
of a given measure and be the most beneficial
during the preparation of documentation and then
during project servicing. We have also elaborated
cooperation mechanisms between teams and
with entrepreneurs. PARP is well prepared in the
scope of organization.
Your department will implement three measures
of the Innovative Economy.
Three measures that constitute two instruments.
One instrument consists of measures 1.4 and 4.1
(the support of research projects ending with the
implementation) and the other is the measure 4.2
(the development of R&D business in enterprises or
design projects.)
During the last Educational Forum for SME a
discussion on innovativeness criterion flared
up. Has it already been established how the
innovativeness criterion will be defined in the
Programme?
It has not yet been specified; there are still works
in progress in this subject. In a few weeks we will
be able to define more precisely in what direction
it goes. The criteria conception has to be approved
by the Monitoring Committee. By the time this work
is finished, we will talk about some projects, postulates,
how this will be verified. Whereas in the case
of projects related to the development of research
and development business (one of project types in
measure 4.2) we were against introducing such a
criterion there, as we can discuss only projects that
are to focus on investing in the development of a
laboratory. It means that entrepreneurs need to be
encouraged to develop R&D business and at this
point the research subject is not a priority.
It is hard to imagine the functioning of this type
of a criterion when it comes to design.
Here the criterion may be useful in order to exclude
simple design projects where in fact we face industrial
or applied design but there is no added value
and this is a repetitive solution that could have been
used before. For example a clothes company designs
a new dress – such projects should not be
a priority. So a criterion relating to innovativeness
should be introduced here in order to support design
business initiating newness of more significance in
the industry.
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