The starting point should be – according to the assumptions of Regional Innovation Strategy (RIS) of Lesser Poland Voivodeship until 2030 – a combination of factors thatdecide about creation of value and position of chemical industry entities in the value chain.
The aforementioned values are connected with adaptation of products to the needs of consumers, search for development niches, increase of conformity of companies with regulations and standards (including environment protection ones). This means also the requirement of ensuring effective logistics within the scope of access to and acquisition of resources and interdisciplinary R&D work used by chemical industry companies.
The desired directions of action should therefore – according to RIS – include direct or indirect support for companies, among others within the scope of conformability with regulatory requirements (e.g. certificates), creation of new products adjusted to the needs of consumers, co-financing of R&D work, and also access to organic and non-organic resources. Networking and establishing international relations are important in this case, as well as in the case of R&D work (where it is important to facilitate support of other entities and companies that can support Lesser Poland’ entities, including institutes, private companies and foreign entities).
Participation of the region in respective initiatives within the scope of S3 Platform in chemical industry (S3Chem Interreg Europe291) can be helpful here. Monitoring of specializations and PPO could be aided by consideration of new entities, current members of the Polish Chamber of Chemical Industry – according to the authors of the strategy for the region.
Production of metal and metal goods and products made of mineral non-metallic resources Metal industry production has maintained growth tendency in Poland for the last 9 years with the growth rate of 6% recorded in 2019. This sector has been strongly tied with other branches of industry –construction, transport, machine and equipment industry.
This specialization, depending on raw materials, has a secured demand from huge clients, and also strategic character from the point of view of state interest – according to innovative strategy of Lesser Poland. – All that leads to a conclusion that in conjunction with the word “smart”, it creates an illusionary impression of discord. However, innovation is transferred here thanks to many industries, including electrotechnical, robotics, medical and ICT, which expect high parameters and perfect properties of delivered products. Ecological and Energy Intensive Industry related standards are likely to play a stimulating role for innovativeness in this smart specialization. This in turn creates also pressure to find new technologies used in raw material sourcing and also waste processing and management.