The idea of supporting cluster development
<\/strong>In international rankings, the innovativeness of the Polish economy has been rated quite low for a long time, which unfortunately places Poland at the bottom of the European pack. This state of affairs is influenced by the low level of funding for Polish science (at the level of 0.56% of GDP), while European leaders, such as Sweden or Finland, allocate over 3% of GDP to science. At the same time, despite attempts to more closely link higher education and the research and development sector with the economy, there is still a strong need to initiate and develop mechanisms supporting the cooperation of the scientific world with Polish enterprises.<\/p>
One of the instruments supporting this process is the creation of clusters, i.e., groups of enterprises remaining in geographical proximity (most often a region, a city), cooperating (and at the same time competing) with each other and with educational institutions, for example, universities or research and development units – in order to create a transfer of knowledge and technology from the world of science to economic practice. Models of such cooperation have been successfully functioning for many years in EU countries, the USA, or Japan, contributing to increasing the innovativeness of these economies, while building their high competitive position.<\/p>
For several years, the concept of creating clusters has also been implemented in Poland. The process of European integration has accelerated the formalization of these forms of cooperation, as evidenced by the creation of several dozen such groupings in Poland. According to research conducted by the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP), there are 47 clusters and 74 cluster initiatives operating in our country.
The initial, great enthusiasm for the creation of cluster initiatives, forming from the bottom up – even before Poland’s accession to the EU, waned as a result of the lack of state support for such ventures and unstable market conditions, which limited the implementation of highly innovative projects. In this context, EU funds under the “Innovative Economy” program, as well as support for training and consulting from the “Human Capital” program, can become significant help in promoting cluster structures in Poland.<\/p>
Proper regional policy as a tool for promoting clusters
<\/strong>Increasing the competitiveness of enterprises operating in regional systems plays a fundamental role in their industrial-innovation and structural policy, aimed at creating a new, more effective regional economic structure within them. The long-term foundations of the competitiveness of companies and the regional systems in which they operate are created by the innovativeness of the economic sectors functioning within them.
Taking a wide package of actions in the regions to achieve this priority goal determines in the long term the use of development opportunities resulting from the natural and socio-economic conditions existing in a given region, especially the production and service potential as well as human capital. These actions consequently contribute to raising the standard of living of the region’s inhabitants.<\/p>
This type of policy constitutes a specific response to the shortcomings of the market mechanism and is complementary to it, not competitive. This kind of policy attempts to shape a new, more competitive and innovative economic structure, which can ensure higher dynamics of economic and social development of regional entities, and thus contribute to the creation of new jobs and a higher standard of living for the community.
Regional industrial-innovation policy stems from a normative and teleological approach to managing the economy under market conditions, i.e., it aims to achieve desired and programmed goals. Industrial policy is therefore a selective and normative policy. Its primary goals are:<\/p>
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ensuring regional and local development by creating competitive and innovative economic sectors in the regions<\/div>
<\/li>creating stable and high-performance jobs in the regions, and thus counteracting unemployment and raising the level of income and living standards of the population<\/div>
<\/li>creating a new, innovative, and at the same time pro-ecological economic structure conducive to the protection of the natural environment in the regions.<\/div>
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<\/ul>Regional industrial-innovation policy should define answers to the following fundamental strategic questions:<\/p>
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which sectors of the regional or local economy have a chance to become their main economic specialties<\/div>
<\/li>which sectors can achieve regional, national, and international competitiveness and what actions should be taken to achieve these goals<\/div>
<\/li>which sectors of the regional economy will be the “locomotives” of development and will generate new jobs and create material conditions for social development.<\/div>
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<\/ul>Industrial-innovation policy is becoming a necessity, both at the state and regional level, because without it, these entities have no chance of fulfilling their basic economic and social functions in the long term.
In the regional economy, it is necessary to distinguish sectors that have a chance of operating under market conditions and the possibility of increasing their competitiveness. A more ambitious program may assume the development of economic sectors that are carriers of innovation and scientific-technical progress, creating a knowledge-based economy, i.e., the so-called new economy<\/em> sector. From these sectors, regional, local, as well as national and international industrial-innovation clusters can be created.<\/p>The article comes from the magazine “Logistyka” 4\/2010.<\/p>