National-regional governance of STI

Poland is a unitary state with local government (samorząd terytorialny) organised at three tiers: 16 voivodships, or regions (województwo), 314 counties (powiat), and 2478 municipalities (gmina). The central government holds the competences for Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI), the national level holds the responsibility for devising strategies and formulating policies aimed at fostering the advancement of STI within the country. The key objectives of Poland's innovation policy for the foreseeable future encompass several areas: 1. Embracing digitisation and transitioning towards Industry 4.0, exemplified by initiatives such as the implementation of the Artificial Intelligence Policy and the establishment of an AI School. 2. Enhancing the skill sets of citizens through measures like entrepreneur training and the acquisition of specific technological proficiencies. 3. Promoting a green economy through initiatives like the establishment of a Green Innovation Hub, support for endeavours aiming to achieve a zero-emission economy, and the inclusion of environmental clauses in trade agreements and public procurement processes. 4. Fostering innovation, start-ups, and the adoption of new technologies, which includes measures like amending industrial property laws and assisting local government units in stimulating the start-up market.

National and regional S3s: organisation and governance

Poland has a national S3 strategy, as well as 16 regional S3 strategies. At the National level S3 is co-ordinated by three ministries: Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy and Ministry of National Education. At the Regional level, each S3 is co-ordinated by each region by Marshall’s Offices (16 regions) with feedback for national level. The National Group for Smart Specialisation supports multi-level coordination, focussing on reciprocal dialogue and continuous feedback across the national and regional levels. It is an informal body consisting of above listed ministries, the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ministry of Climate and Environment, all Polish regions, the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development, the Central Statistical Office and the National Centre for Research and Development. The multi-level coordination revolves significantly around the monitoring process. Indeed, the group has created a platform for establishing monitoring systems and discussing S3 monitoring results. Indicators are set at both national and regional levels, with regions setting more specific indicators specific to their S3.

For information on regional S3s, please return to the homepage: https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/assets/s3-observatory/index_en.html