We are perfectly aware that the path of an entrepreneur can be rough, which is why we do everything we can to support businesses at every stage of their development. We offer a broad range of support for companies – from grants and low-interest loans for start-up and business development phases, through programmes tailored to the needs of different industries, to support for complex investments in state-of-the-art technologies.
Lodzkie Region is an entrepreneur-friendly environment – for sure, we have the right programme for you.
If you want inspiration and wish to keep track of the latest trends, be with us at #efglodzkie2022.
Make sure you are there at the biggest business event of the year.
You have a head full of dreams and ambitions and you think about trying your hand in the business world, but you don’t know where to start? Daniel Sieberg’s motivational lecture will be a hit for you.
On 15 December, at the European Economic Forum, this enthusiast of modern technologies and a long-time collaborator of technological giants, such as Google or Huawei, will reveal his recipe for success.
Daniel Sieberg is a real workhorse. His achievements include a bestseller, Digital Diet, several nominations to the Emmy award and a successful journalist career. His science and technology reports have been featured on CNN, CBS News, ABC News, BBC, Al Jazeera, Discovery Channel, and his publications appeared in newspapers such as the Times and The Washington Post.
Social economy is a bridge between the private and public sectors. In brief: it is about actors who build civil society through their commercial activities. With the legal regulation of social economy operators, entrepreneurs who create such entities can realise their plans while at the same time contributing to the community.
The main objective of social economy operators is to carry out economic and public benefit activities that serve to create new jobs, ensure professional and social integration, and provide services of general interest. In entrepreneurial terms it is much less complicated than it may sound: it is sufficient to set up a Vocational Activity Unit within an existing company. In this way, profits can be transferred with considerable ease to investments in improving working conditions, equipment, skills upgrading, and additional jobs.
While the list of businesses that choose to participate in the social economy is long, the service sector is by far on the lead in this scope. It is a sector where companies running educational, care or public services can excel. Peer-to-peer services are also working excellently: insurance, health and care services, or co-operatives providing internet access in ‘white spaces’.
Social economy operators make it possible to go a step further than simply generating profit measured in cash – with them, profit can be measured in results for the entire community. It is an excellent business for people who want to make a difference not only in their own life, but also to improve the quality of their environment.
Panels on the third day of #efglodzkie2022 will focus on the social economy and related topics, with opportunities to meet professionals and practitioners.
Is it a matter of talent, luck or hard work?
How to reach the heights of your capabilities? What does it take to succeed? Is talent on its own, with a little luck, enough? Or perhaps anything is possible with sufficent effort? How to be your best self?
On December 14, during #efglodzkie2022, three women will answer these questions. They are all talented and have all invested a tremendous amount of work in their successes. We will have an opportunity to listen to their stories of success and their striving to be the best version of themselves. There three extraordinary women are:
Urszula Dudziak: Polish jazz legend; singer, composer and lyrics writer. She has released more than 50 LPs, performed with some of the greatest names in mainstream music, and her distinctive voice and astonishing range are recognised all over the world.
Otylia Jedrzejczak: Olympic, world and European swimming champion, the only Polish athlete to be honoured with a place in the International Swimming Hall of Fame, multiple winner of the title of best Polish athlete in the survey of Przeglad Sportowy, the best swimmer in Europe according to Swimming World, president of the Polish Swimming Federation.
Róża Kozakowska: Paraolympic champion and world record holder in club throw, winner of the 87th survey of Przegląd Sportowy in the category of Sports without Barriers, awarded the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta for her sports achievements. Former athlete of the START Zduńska Wola Integration Sports Club.
The European Economic Forum is a place where entrepreneurs find inspiration. And where to look for funding? The answer is: Regional Development Fund for the Lodzkie Region. This year, RDFLR is the Main Partner of the Forum. For entrepreneurs, this means that from a business idea to financing there is just one step.
The Regional Development Fund for the Lodzkie Region is a company owned by the Lodzkie Region, tasked with a mission to support entrepreneurs and their business. The RDFLR operations cover businesses of all scales – from micro-enterprises to medium-sized companies registered in the region.
What was the reason for the Fund? The aim of the Regional Fund is to support the development of companies and boost their competitiveness. With additional funds, they can deploy innovations, find new markets and, to put it briefly, grow their business. And this translates directly into the development of the entire region. New services and products mean new jobs, higher profits for companies, higher wages for employees and, in the long term, also a higher tax income for the region, which benefits all its residents.
In what ways does the RDFLR support entrepreneurs? It accomplishes its objectives by providing low-interest repayable financing. Or to put it more simply: it offers loans for business development on terms that cannot be matched by any bank.
This is of particular importance now, at a time when access to capital is more difficult than ever over the last 30 years. Traditional, commercial forms of fundraising for business development purposes are not only very expensive, but also subject to heavy requirements for borrowers. The Regional Fund is dedicated to removing barriers to access to capital, which opens up entirely new opportunities, even for the smallest enterprises.
In the RDFLR’s offer, micro-enterprises can find low-interest loans for the start-up phase and for development. With its resources, medium-sized businesses can finance major investments. This is how the Lodzkie Region helps to increase the competitive edge of the local companies in the era of innovation, dynamic changes in the economic landscape, and globalisation.
How to receive support? Virtually every micro-, small and medium-sized enterprise in the Lodzkie Region can benefit from the offer by selecting an instrument dedicated to a specific sector (e.g. Regional Tourism Loan) or a specific spending objective (e.g. Regional Revolving Loan) at www.rfrwl.pl. The Fund operates through its financial intermediaries whose list can also be found on the website, and with their help, you can get the support you need.
It is no coincidence that the Regional Development Fund for the Lodzkie Region is present at the European Economic Forum – Lodzkie 2022. Indeed, the Fund constitutes an element of the Region’s consistently implemented support for entrepreneurs, enabling them to increase their competitiveness. From inspiration, through knowledge, opportunities to meet business partners, to funding – the duo of the EEF and RDFLR is leading the Lodzkie Region’s entrepreneurs towards success.
Every year, the European Economic Forum surprises and provides a huge load of knowledge. And this time, it will be no different! The first day will open under the banner of “Leader, Team, Synergy”. We will enter the world of new technologies, raise issues of management in the sports business, and learn about the role of the leader in achieving goals.
The second day will offer an opportunity to look – alongside distinguished guests from the European Parliament and the European Conservatives and Reformists Group – “Together into the future of Europe”. We will discuss how the labour market has changed as a result of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, what we can do to survive in this difficult time and how our neighbours’ conflict has affected Polish businesses. This day will culminate in the Lodzkie Region Economic Award Gala “Biznes na PLUS”, with distinctions presented to the finest companies.
The third and final day of the “Innovative Lodzkie” will focus on the Lodzkie region. We will debate the export of goods and services to the furthest corners of the world, but also topics of the here and now, i.e. the activation of senior citizens or business management in times of crisis.
Join us at #efglodzkie2022 and see for yourself it’s worth it!
Probably every Pole knows who Marek Kamiński is. When we hear that name, we see immeasurable icy wastelands, and somewhere there – a man, persistently heading to the pole. Marek Kamiński is, of course, an outstanding polar explorer and traveller. However, not everyone knows that experiencing extreme sports is deeply thought out, calculated and… managed. Marek Kamiński is a philosopher, a physicist and a certified management expert by education. Thanks to this, he is prepared to face the challenges that may befall him during extreme expeditions. Goal-setting and performance motivation – these are the features that are useful not only in the icy desert. They are also perfect in business, and even here Marek Kamiński records considerable success.
We will meet Marek Kamiński on the first day of #efglodzkie2022. Marek Kamiński gathered his experience and proven techniques into a methodology that he called – how else – “The Pole Method”. Athletes find it useful for achieving outstanding results and “civilians” discover performance that they never expected they had until now. The Pole method is holistic. It takes care of both physical health and fitness, but also mental resilience, which is crucial in business. It places great emphasis on reacting to change – just as a sunny day beyond the Arctic Circle can turn into a snowstorm in a matter of moments, business is largely governed by unpredictable events.
Without a doubt, unmanned flying devices offer countless interesting applications, for example simple deliveries, when you pick up an item at your doorstep a few minutes after buying it, but also life-saving activities – such as searching for the injured in disasters or transporting blood for transfusions. However, there are drone solutions deployed on a much larger scale. These include drone swarms monitoring high-voltage transmission lines, assisting security services in extensive industrial areas, or patrolling national borders. There are thousands of applications for drones, and this means one thing – you can do an excellent business on them!
On the very first day of #efglodzkie2022, an entire panel discussion will be dedicated to drones, offering a possibility to talk about non-obvious uses of drones and jointly look for business opportunities related to them. The international line-up of the panel and the wide range of industries guarantee a top-level discussion.
When you play at a professional level, sport becomes a business – but perhaps much more difficult than any other. Sports business offers immense opportunities that only the best can achieve – both in terms of sport and in terms of business ability.
On 14 December, during the panel entitled “The Marketing Power of Football”, the world of sports business and marketing will be presented by recognised professionals in the industry: Jerzy Engel – football manager, Mateusz Dróżdż – chairman of Widzew Łódź, Tomasz Salski – owner of ŁKS Łódź, and Żelisław Żyżyński – well-known sports journalist.
The Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has changed the economic landscape of Europe and the world. The European Economic Forum will provide an opportunity to discuss how these changes have affected local and European markets – where to look for new niches, how to deal with evolving sales opportunities. We will also reflect on how 10 months of migration traffic has changed the labour market in Poland and what this means for the development of our economy.
“Ukraine in Europe” is an umbrella name for a series of panels dedicated to our eastern neighbour and the role of the economic relations between Poland and Ukraine.
