Research region

The south western Polish city of Wroclaw is at a crossroads of sorts. Situated on the Oder River near the border to both the Czech Republic and Germany, it is only 260km to Prague, 350km to Berlin and 500km to Vienna. Warsaw is a further 350 km to the east. Enlargement of the EU has reinforced the strategic importance of the city’s central European location, and it appears now ready to fully exploit both its geographic and economic potential. 

A good example of this is Wroclaw’s candidature to become the headquarters, or at least coordinator, of one of the European institute of innovation and technology (EIT)’s proposed knowledge and innovation communities (KICs). In November 2007, the 27 member states reached a political agreement on a compromise text put forward by the Portuguese presidency, and agreed to earmark €300m for the project. In February, the council formally adopted the EIT programme. 

“We posed our candidature two years ago following the commission’s original proposal,” says Andrzej Los, marshal of Lower Silesia, the region whose chief city is Wroclaw. “We see the EIT project as an opportunity to achieve rapid progress and boost our economic infrastructure. Even though this is one of the most developed Polish regions, it is still not equivalent to other European regions such as Flanders, Ile de France or, say, some regions of the UK. So this is a means of making our region competitive, and of reinforcing our R&D and technology sectors. It’s an opportunity to improve our situation.”

Los believes that it is vitally important that the EIT has a presence that reflects the new dynamics of an expanded union. “If one thinks of the effectiveness of the EU’s cohesion policy, it is clearly important that we situate some of these knowledge communities in new member states. We prefer a decentralised concept of an EIT, with a central administrative seat and perhaps eight, nine or ten knowledge communities.”

There is a certainly no guarantee that Wroclaw will be selected, however. Numerous central and eastern European cities are candidates, including the Hungarian capital Budapest. But Los believes that the Lower Silesian city has a good chance.

“It depends on whether we’re talking about becoming the central seat of  the whole EIT administration or of a community of knowledge,” he says. “In terms of becoming the administrative centre, I think our chances probably aren’t that great. There have been lots of discussions about this and I have heard that this will probably go to Brussels; Brussels or Strasbourg. Brussels is a compromise; it’s the traditional capital of Europe. But as far as becoming one of the KICs is concerned, I think we have a good chance. It’s not for sure, of course.”

The region is also busy working to improve transport links to other parts of Europe. A new road from Krakow to Dresden passes through Lower Silesia as does a new railway line. “These developments are fundamental to the economy,” says Los.  “At the end of this year we will also start on the modernisation of Wroclaw airport, another important step in our preparations for the European football championships in 2012.” Wroclaw, along with four other Polish cities, is hosting Europe’s biggest football tournament, an event Los believes could prove pivotal.

“This could be very important for us for several reasons. First, we are obliged to improve our infrastructure and transport links – this is absolutely necessary. It is also an exceptional occasion to advertise our region and our city. The effects of the 2004 championship in Portugal were very interesting; for example the number of tourists increased in 2005 compared to 2003.”

“I think for Lower Silesia, the result could be even more spectacular. Portugal was already a tourist destination, but Poland is generally not. So it is possible that the number of tourists will increase by an even greater amount.”

The immediate future looks bright for Lower Silesia. Its economy has been growing 11 per cent year-on-year, making it the second most competitive region in the country, and increasing connectivity with neighbouring Germany and the Czech Republic has imbued it with a proper European perspective. A successful bid to host one of the EIT’s KICs could further accelerate the region’s growing influence.

“The decision [by council] will probably be made at the end of the year,” says Los.  “The plan is to create a headquarters and several communities of knowledge. Right now, we don’t know how many, so this year will be crucial for the implementation of the programme.”

Los also believes that a successful EIT would have implications not just for the region but for the EU as a whole. “It would be a way of transferring R&D discoveries to the economic world,” he says. “Europe is not very competitive in this respect compared to the US or Japan. If Europe wants to be competitive, it must be competitive in this sector.”

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