In Poland, a trend for technology, science, and industrial parks—and those containing every possible combination of these adjectives in their names—has emerged. In Poznań and its surrounding areas, the following are currently in operation: the Poznań Science and Technology Park, the Nickel Technology Park Poznań in Złotniki, and the Industrial Park in Luboń. Preparations are also underway to launch the Poznań Technology and Industrial Park.
Changes in product manufacturing processes, workforce skills, and the need for new industrial plant locations have led to the emergence of technopoles—industrial and science parks—in highly developed countries. As a rule, they are located in or near large metropolitan areas, around universities or research centers. Over time, they attract more and more companies and transform into the aforementioned technopoles.
The first park in Poland was the Poznań Science and Technology Park. It is the work of the Adam Mickiewicz University Foundation in Poznań. Its creation was initiated by Prof. Bogdan Marciniec from the Faculty of Chemistry at AMU. Since its inception in 1995, the park has been constantly developing, providing Polish scientists with an increasingly broad analytical and research infrastructure. The park consists of modern laboratories, specialized warehouses, and 5,000 square meters of office space rented to innovative enterprises.
In turn, the first private facility of this type in Poland is the Nickel Technology Park Poznań, located in Złotniki, 12 kilometers from the capital of Greater Poland. – We started modestly with one office building. Now, there are two more warehouse halls on our premises, and a second office building is nearing completion – says Ewa Bujak, Public Relations coordinator at Nickel Technology Park Poznań. – Interestingly, it will include amenities such as a kindergarten and a bistro – adds E. Bujak.
Investors, however, will not stop there. There are also plans for a retail and service building for the local community. The first facility, built by the local company Przedsiębiorstwo Techniczno-Budowlane Nickel, was established in Złotniki in 2006. Since then, many interesting initiatives have developed there, such as the Greater Poland Automotive Cluster. – We remain open to all innovative projects – assures Lucyna Pieterek, Managing Director of NTPP. Currently, 14 companies are based at the Nickel Technology Park Poznań. The office space, including the new office building, amounts to 9,000 square meters, and warehouse tenants have 12,000 square meters at their disposal.
South of Poznań, the Luboń Industrial Park was established relatively recently. Its owner is Luvena (formerly Zakłady Chemiczne Luboń Sp. z o.o). – In January, we commissioned the first warehouse hall with an area of 8,500 square meters. The construction of another one is currently in the planning stage, but everything depends on client interest – says Jacek Żurawski from the Luboń Industrial Park. – And the park’s plans are very ambitious: 15,000 square meters of office space and 75,000 square meters of warehouse space. PPL is aimed mainly at small and medium-sized enterprises from the area. The advantage of the Luboń Industrial Park is undoubtedly its location in the immediate vicinity of the A2 motorway and the possession of its own railway sidings.
The mission of the emerging Poznań Technology and Industrial Park is to strengthen the city’s position as a leading urban center in Poland through the development of innovative branches of the economy and by contributing to the shaping of a new spatial order in Poznań. The PTIP is managed by the Greater Poland Investment Support Center.
– The first building of the park will be commissioned as early as September. It is a comprehensively renovated office facility from the 1970s. The building is located on 28 Czerwca Street – says Wojciech Krause, PTIP project coordinator. Warehouse space will be located in another part of the city. – At the moment, we are considering a 50-hectare area in Żegrze, which has been covered by the Kostrzyn-Słubice Special Economic Zone – adds W. Krause.
In mid-July of this year, an application for a building permit for new facilities was submitted. The entire investment will take about 3-4 years, and the buildings will be commissioned in stages. The total usable area of the 5 facilities will exceed 15,000 square meters. Tenant interest is already significant. The park has clients for about 1/3 of the first building’s area.
The constantly growing demand for office space and scientific-technological facilities shows that there is still room in the Poznań market for this type of investment. This is also evidenced by the continuous development of existing parks and plans to build subsequent stages.