An interview with Dr Bogdan Tomaszek – President of the Management Board of the Opole Science and Technology Park

What are Science and Technology Parks and what is their role in expanding innovative economy?
Science and Technology Parks are an element of the business environment that support the development of local and regional economies by promoting enterprise in the area of innovation and transfer of technology from science to industrial practice. In order to achieve those aims, a park stimulates and manages the movement of knowledge and technology between institutions of higher learning and R&D units and enterprises. Such movement can also take place in the opposite direction, involving ideas and problems arising in the course of business that need to be researched in a laboratory.
The activities of parks contribute to an increase in the competitiveness of an economy. The parks’ asset is their ability to adapt to different conditions, opportunities, goals and tasks. The local and regional communities in which STPs (science and technology parks) operate vary in terms of their business environment, political situation, research potential, short- and long-term goals, etc. For this reason the goals, tasks and assessment of the operation of STPs should take account of the specific nature of their location.
For institutions of higher learning and R&D units a science and technology park provides an opportunity to implement their research output.
In Poland science and technology parks and other knowledge and technology transfer centres are associated in the Polish Business and Innovation Centres Association (www.sooipp.org.pl).

Are there any other types of parks?
Yes, there are industrial parks, which are complexes made up of real property and infrastructure formerly belonging to liquidated or restructured enterprises, provided with additional real property and established with the participation of local governments. Their primary purpose is to ensure that small and medium-sized enterprises can carry on their business on preferential terms. Industrial parks are the intended eventual locations of start-up firms’ headquarters. They are not required to be connected with innovation, although it is recommended. On the other hand, technology parks, which can also be established with the participation of local governments, are scientific and industrial complexes offering services for those newly formed enterprises that make use of modern technologies. There are also a number of mixed forms, such as industrial and technology parks.
What’s the idea behind OSTP (the Opole Science and Industrial Park)?
In 2006 all shares in OSTP were acquired by the Opole University of Technology, which is not, however, in a position to spend tens of millions of zlotys to build the Park’s infrastructure and provide it with suitable rooms for businesses. At present OSTP holds only several tens of square metres of office space. This has forced the idea of operation of the Opole Science and Technology Park to be redefined. Due to the shortage of real property, we are not going to lease space for the development of businesses nor are we going to set up any specialist laboratories, focusing on substantive activities instead. We are, therefore, going to build a proper environment for innovation rather than seek real property or create the Park’s infrastructure, while the Park’s missing elements can be effectively supplied by the Opole University of Technology and its Academic Enterprise Incubator.
What is the target group of OSTP’s offer?
Our goal is to build an environment that is innovation-friendly and focus our energy on the application of scientific output to business practice with a view to stimulating business initiatives among scientists. No administrative incentive works better than actual profit. To be successful in the field of technology transfer, we want to become an effective link between the products of the efforts of, among others, University scientists and students and the needs of the region’s industry, i.e. those entrepreneurs that are interested in implementing innovations or have their own ideas, but need help. What we basically want is to bring science as close as possible to business.

  Who will be the Park’s collaborators?
We want the Park to be one of the institutions implementing the Regional Innovation Strategy of the Opolskie Voivodeship for 2004-2013. The Park’s role will, therefore, be to cooperate on several platforms with similar existing institutions in our region, that is the Academic Incubator or, rather, Pre-Incubator of the Opole University of Technology, the Kędzierzyn-Koźle Industrial Park, the “Blachownia” Industrial Park or the emerging Academic Incubator of the University of Opole, and to support initiatives to set up incubators in the poviats and gminas of our voivodeship. On the other hand, our natural partners are the Opole University of Technology and the University of Opole, with other institutions of higher learning to come in the future, as well as both R&D institutes in Kędzierzyn-Koźle and Groszowice. I hope to establish good relations with local governments, in particular the Government of the Opolskie Voivodeship, including the Opolskie Centre for Economic Development. In establishing relations I would like to focus on businesses – the most active ones accounting for 6% of all entities. The problem is finding a way to reach them.
What will be the Park’s primary activities?
The Park’s development as an entity through specifying its offer in more detail and finding a market niche and the acquisition of partners for cooperation. As regards the substance of our activity, we wish to concentrate on building a cooperation network, i.e. developing cluster initiatives and assisting with the establishment of non-profit business support institutions, such as incubators or, possibly, a development fund. Second, the development of cooperation with innovative entrepreneurs in the area of technology transfer. Third, the development of expert and consulting resources using e-services.
What projects are currently being carried out by OSTP? What projects are planned to be carried out next?
At present we are carrying out the second phase of a project financed from OP HC related to the preparation of cluster initiatives for the chemical, agri-food and tourism sectors. There is one wood cluster in our voivodeship, whereas at least as many as five could operate.
Could you tell us about your plans for the future?
They are difficult to state in detail, as all depends on the acquisition of partners for cooperation and local government response. On our part we will do everything to make the Park a place where the impossible becomes a reality.