Silesian Investors and Exporters Assistance Centre
Published on 28 December 2018
Poland
Śląskie
This is the good practice's implementation level. It can be national, regional or local.
About this good practice
The Silesian Investor and Exporter Assistance Centres (the Polish acronym - COIE) belong to a network of information points that have been established throughout Poland in cooperation between the Ministry of Economy and regional self-governments. COIE is a single contact point, located directly in the region, close to local companies and offering assistance via modern communication technologies as well as face–to-face meeting with the experts.
The main objective is increasing the level of internationalization of the Polish companies by facilitating the access of entrepreneurs and their associations to free, high-quality, complex information services that are essential to planning, organizing and starting exporting and/or investing abroad. Second objective is to increase the level of foreign investment in Poland by facilitating the access of potential foreign investors to information about regulations on starting a business in Poland and support instruments for the development of entrepreneurship including investment incentives.
Pro-export services are: target market identification, finding information on potential business partners in available Polish and international databases, B2B matchmaking.
Pro-biz services are: delivering economic information on the region to the foreign investors, preparing information about available investment possibilities, promoting regional investment offer.
Silesian Centre organizes conferences, seminars and promotes the region abroad.
The main objective is increasing the level of internationalization of the Polish companies by facilitating the access of entrepreneurs and their associations to free, high-quality, complex information services that are essential to planning, organizing and starting exporting and/or investing abroad. Second objective is to increase the level of foreign investment in Poland by facilitating the access of potential foreign investors to information about regulations on starting a business in Poland and support instruments for the development of entrepreneurship including investment incentives.
Pro-export services are: target market identification, finding information on potential business partners in available Polish and international databases, B2B matchmaking.
Pro-biz services are: delivering economic information on the region to the foreign investors, preparing information about available investment possibilities, promoting regional investment offer.
Silesian Centre organizes conferences, seminars and promotes the region abroad.
Expert opinion
The Silesian Investors and Exporters Assistance Centre provides free information services regarding exporting and investing. For Polish companies seeking to export the Centre helps by identifying target markets, finding potential business partners and by facilitating B2B matchmaking. The Centre also works towards increasing foreign investments in Poland. In this regard, the Centre shares information regarding regulations, investment incentives and investment possibilities to foreign investors. Therefore the Centre works as a central single contact point for both types of inquires and enables an efficient knowledge sharing and matchmaking between regional companies and potential investors.
Works at
Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform
Resources needed
The Silesian Centre is a part of Marshal’s Office of Silesian Voivodeship. The Voivodeship's annual budget for the promotion of FDI and other economic development activities is EUR 300 000 - EUR 400 000. There are 4 employees within the Centre. Next 11 from other Units support their activities.
Evidence of success
For last 4 years Silesian Investor and Exporter Assistance Centre has been successful presenting a lot of activities in the field of I internationalisation:
• Informational service for foreign investors: 248 projects,
• Visits of foreign investors hosted: 44 visits,
• Completed projects: 28,
• Economic missions handled: 8,
• Informational meetings for regional entrepreneurs about foreign markets: 14,
• Promoting of regional investment attractiveness on trade fairs: 19.
• Informational service for foreign investors: 248 projects,
• Visits of foreign investors hosted: 44 visits,
• Completed projects: 28,
• Economic missions handled: 8,
• Informational meetings for regional entrepreneurs about foreign markets: 14,
• Promoting of regional investment attractiveness on trade fairs: 19.
Potential for learning or transfer
The Centre is a unit of Marshal’s Office of the Silesian Voivodeship (Department of Economy & International Cooperation). There are 4 employees dealing with promotion of economic development in the region, 3 are especially dedicated to promoting and facilitating inward investments. They are skilled in foreign languages and economics and are regularly trained to offer assistance of the best quality to investors.
The team is supported by other units. The Centre closely cooperates with Polish Investment and Trade Agency, Ministry of Investment and Economic Development, Katowice Special Economic Zone.
It is possible to directly replicate the “pro-biz” services in other regions/countries, which include knowledge and data already in the possession or easy to be collected in the receiving region:
• Delivering economic information on the region to the foreign investors,
• Preparing information about available investment possibilities,
• Promoting regional investment offer.
The team is supported by other units. The Centre closely cooperates with Polish Investment and Trade Agency, Ministry of Investment and Economic Development, Katowice Special Economic Zone.
It is possible to directly replicate the “pro-biz” services in other regions/countries, which include knowledge and data already in the possession or easy to be collected in the receiving region:
• Delivering economic information on the region to the foreign investors,
• Preparing information about available investment possibilities,
• Promoting regional investment offer.
Further information
Website
Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.
Organisation
Marshal´s Office of Silesian Voivodeship
Poland
Śląskie
Contact
PP3 Project Manager