More than 200 projects have benefited from 92 million euros in aid. This marks the total support from the “Entrepreneurship and Innovation Development” program under the Norwegian Financial Mechanism for the period 2014–2021. Micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises could receive grants for the implementation of innovative environmental protection projects, water quality, and life quality improvement through the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP). “Companies that took advantage of the Norwegian Funds noted business benefits and environmental effects, but also non-business, social benefits,” evaluates Maja Wasilewska from PARP.
Poland is one of several countries implementing support programs funded by the Norwegian government. Even though Norway is not a member of the EU, it contributes to creating a green and modern Europe through the Norwegian Funds. The Norwegian Financial Mechanism (NMF) 2014–2021 aims to reduce economic and social development discrepancies and strengthen bilateral relations between Poland and Norway.
“Norwegian funds are crucial for the Polish economy, as they put a strong emphasis on environmental aspects. It is essential because when implementing solutions, we need to think about the development of our business and business aspects, but also environmental factors. Companies that used Norwegian Funds absolutely noted business benefits and environmental results,” emphasis Maja Wasilewska from the Department of Analysis and Strategy at PARP.
The Norwegian Funds aim to stimulate bilateral cooperation between businesses in Poland and Norway, promote Polish-Norwegian partnerships, as well as exchange of knowledge, experiences, and good practices between both countries companies and business environment.
Under the program “Entrepreneurship and Innovation Development”, support was provided for innovative solutions in Polish companies in three different thematic areas, and its objective was to develop not only entrepreneurship and innovation but also a sustainable approach in Polish companies.
A total of 205 innovative technologies were applied as part of the Norwegian Financial Mechanism, 55 products or services were commercialized, 70 innovative solutions were developed, and 300 new jobs were created. “We financed a total of 202 projects worth more than 92 million euros,” says Monika Karwat-Bury.
The grant “Green Industry Innovation – Environmentally Friendly Technologies” aimed to increase the competitiveness of entrepreneurs using environmentally friendly technological solutions. In total, 73 projects were realized for the amount of 43.5 million euros.
Under “Blue Growth – Innovations in the field of inland or marine water” funding was given to projects that contributed to the increase of innovation and limit pollution of waters. A total of 42 projects were realized for the amount of 34.7 million euros.
Support in the third NMF area “Welfare Technologies – Technologies improving the quality of life” was directed to companies introducing products or services based on modern technologies improving the quality of life of the most vulnerable social groups. A total of 11 projects were realized for nearly 9.2 million euros.
“We also had a grant scheme for women, where firms managed by women could develop ideas from the conceptual phase to the finished product in these three thematic areas,” says Monika Karwat-Bury.
As part of a competitive grant scheme for women’s businesses, 41 projects worth 5.4 million euros were funded.
