Investor Support – co-operation in the Tarnów Agglomeration

Opublikowano: 8 February 2017Published on: 8 February 2017

The economic development of Tarnów mainly involves the undertaking of pro-entrepreneurship and pro-investment activities. This can be characterized by a number of tasks carried out every year, based both on legal activities but also on unconventional activities aimed at increasing the city’s investment attractiveness. These are not only actions strictly promoting investment areas in Tarnów. Through pro-investment activity, as the Department of Economic Development, first and foremost we understand the consistent and multidimensional policy of information, promotion and, above all, activation of the business environment to become familiar with the values of Tarnów.

Thanks to the agreement to improve the investment attractiveness of the municipalities of the Agglomeration, signed on 27 February 2015, 8 municipalities and the City of Tarnów have prepared a joint offer. One of the assumptions of the agreement is the ongoing co-operation and exchange of information about inquiries and offers from companies interested in investing. This is particularly useful in the absence of suitable sites in Tarnów or any one of the municipalities. Co-operation between coordinators allows the retention of a potential investor in the Agglomeration. Once every quarter there are also meetings dedicated to coordinators representing the municipalities of the Agglomeration, focused on the analysis of the work done so far, planned activities and new ideas. The leader and initiator of these meetings is the Department of Economic Development (Coordinator – Individual Investor Support). Signatories to the Agreement: City of Tarnów, City and Municipality of Żabno, City and Municipality of Radłów, City and Municipality of Wojnicz, City and Municipality of Ryglice, Municipality of Wierzchosławice, Municipality of Lisia Góra, Municipality of Tarnów, Municipality of Skrzyszów.

Co-operation in the Tarnów Agglomeration also involves a common service for investors. In 2016 and 2017, the exchange of offers and presentation of the sites from both Tarnów and municipalities took place in several dozen cases. These were real estate inquiries for logistics, services, trade, manufacturing and food processing. As part of the pro-entrepreneurial activities, the municipalities of the Agglomeration also received invitations for companies operating in their area to participate, e.g. in an E-trade Fair in Katowice, regular consultations conducted by the Free E-business Zone of Creativity (DESK), training, Investment Forum, Business Forum of the World Polonia (networking and business mixer). In co-operation with the municipalities of the Tarnów Agglomeration, there is also the DESK Business Zone, located at ul. Wałowa 16, in Tarnów (posters, leaflets, business cards, information on the activity “Business Fridays at DESK”).

In 2016, the Department of Economic Development of the Tarnów City Council prepared an investment offer for the municipalities of the Tarnów Agglomeration, in Polish and English, which was then distributed among participants of the 9th and 10th Investment Forums.

An Individual Investor Support employee of the Department of Economic Development at the UMT, acting as coordinator on the part of the City of Tarnów, invites the Investor to contact the coordinators designated in individual municipalities (under the Arrangement) to verify the available investment offer. Then the offer is sent to investors. The co-ordination of Tarnów City Council’s joint activities is a good example of sub-regional strong influence and leadership. The municipality has a shortage of specialized units that deal with investor assistance. Tarnów’s impact also includes the implementation of nationwide investor service standards (e.g. according to the guidelines of the Polish Agency for Investment and Trade). Shared promotion, realized by Tarnów, gives a great deal of field potential. Combining the opportunities of neighboring municipalities brings a wide range of possibilities. Coordinating co-operation by the leader also includes education for the municipalities. Due to being the leader, Tarnów imposes certain standards and performs part of the work for the municipalities. This makes it easier for individual partners to react quickly and prepare investment offers. Co-operation in the Agglomeration is also a good chance for companies located outside Tarnów. Thanks to the partnership, they are kept informed and can participate in many sector-related events of an economic nature.

Pro-investment activities of the Faculty, aimed at creating pro-entrepreneurial attitudes, also include the implementation of the following activities:

  • Signing an agreement with the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency (now the Polish Agency for Investment and Trade), which deals with co-operation for the economic promotion of the City by undertaking actions aimed at acquiring and servicing foreign investors (in 2015 two employees took part in free training on investor assistance);

  • Active measures in the Małopolska Investor Assistance Forum, run by the Krakow Technology Sp. z o.o. and Business Center in Lesser Poland;

  • Agreement with the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) – the world’s largest network supporting small and medium enterprises in foreign expansion. The collaboration provides access to more than 60 countries, 600 organizations and 3,000 experts. Within this framework of co-operation, specialist advice is provided for entrepreneurs at the premises of the DESK Business Zone at ul. Wałowa 16;

  • Agreement with the Małopolska Agency for Regional Development S.A. (MARR S.A.), signed November 4, 2015, in the field of specialist advice for entrepreneurs;

  • Introduction of three language versions of the “Invest in Tarnów” tab: English, German and Chinese, presenting investment offers, tax reliefs and incentives, and facilitating the identification of Tarnów’s potential.

  • From 2015 until May 24, 2017, 151 potential investors submitted inquiries in search of an investment offer. Each time, the offer is prepared individually, taking into account such parameters as the size of the area, the allocation of land in MPZP or the Study, infrastructure or adequate communication. Investors are also informed about the possibility of taking advantage of property tax exemptions in the form of de minimis aid or regional aid.