Business environment
Undoubtedly, the Silesian Voivodeship’s strong points are business support organizations, i.e. regional and local development agencies, economic chambers, industrial chambers, commercial chambers, craftsman guilds, enterprise support centres, consulting centres, economic information centres and economic associations. The main aim of organisations supporting entrepreneurship is to increase the competitiveness of small and medium enterprises and promote their development. These companies usually offer the following:
- advisory and consulting services (also in the field of modern technologies introduction, quality management systems implementation, certificates acquisition, and obtaining national and the EU funds for company development),
- wide range of training services,
- basic and specialist information services,
- financial services such as credit loaning, loan guarantee and credit guarantee granting,
- aid in establishing economic contacts, for example by means of organising economic and commercial missions, business meetings etc.
Institutions most important regionally include the Regional Economic Chamber in Katowice, the Chamber of Crafts and Small and Medium Entrepreneurship in Katowice, the Silesian Agricultural Chamber and the Upper Silesian Fund. In addition, credit, guarantee and venture capital operate in the region, among them, the Silesian Regional Loan Guarantee Fund and the Upper Silesian Fund. The Voivodeship is also home to venture incubators, as well as industrial and technological parks (like Eurocentrum or GPP Business Park).
The region plays a very significant role as a trade-fair centre. Fairs are organised in Poland’s largest Show and Sports Hall “Spodek” (Saucer) in Katowice where a variety of shows of a different kind take place, among them are: concerts, congresses, trainings, home and international artistic events as well as sport events such as e.g. World Computer Games Championship Intel Extreme Masters. Another facility where various fairs, conferences, trainings and seminars are organized is Conference Centre Expo Silesia in Sosnowiec. Moreover, in 2015 a new International Congress Centre in Katowice was opened. This Centre is a host of various world events and fairs take place. In 2015 fairs of electronic entertainment Inter ESL Expo Katowice were organised accompanying the World Championship. This facility is capable of organising a dozen or so events and the biggest hall can hold 12,000 people. There is also a VIP hall.
Every year the European Economic Congress with a few thousands participants and the European Congress of SME are organized in Silesia region. Every The European Economic Congress gathers a couple of thousands of participants from Poland and all over Europe and provides a cycle of public debates and meetings over the most vital issues concerning economic and social development of Europe. Participants of the European Economic Congress include EU commissioners and prime ministers of European countries and representatives of the Polish Government. As for the the European Congress of SME, the issues of development opportunities and challenges are discussed among the key persons of Polish government, prominent figures from academia, politics and economy and foreign delegations of several dozen countries.
The Silesian Voivodeship has huge research and development potential for the country – it is the second largest centre in Poland. It consists of scientific and research and development units, development units and universities.
The activity of research and development institutions is mainly targeted at the environment protection, power industry, automatics, electronics and building engineering.
In terms of entities operating in highly-technological industries, the Silesian Voivodeship can be deemed one of Poland’s leaders. There is a large number of micro-enterprises (employing less than 10 people), running activity in fields such as the production of medical and surgical equipment and orthopaedic instruments, the production of television and radio sets and telephones and devices used in wire telegraphy, as well as the production of measurement, control, analytical, navigational etc. instruments and tools.
