The early 1990s was the time of the economic changes in Poland. The unemployment rate was very high. No wonder the Polish citizens were dissatisfied and urged the government to go about solving that problem. One of the solutions was to establish a number of institutions which would promote job creation and self-employment.

The Polish Government decided to take out a loan from the World Bank (100 000 000 USD) in order to implement the “Employment Promotion and Services Project.” The project consisted of ten components known as Terms of Reference (TORs). TOR#10 - “Small Business Development Project” - was aimed at creating a number of incubators in Poland. The newly-established institutions were to promote entrepreneurship and self-employment (job creation) as well as to provide assistance to those willing to set up in business.

The unemployment rate in Kalisz was 20% and it was higher than the national average, hence the decision to establish an incubator here. In 1992, local authorities in Kalisz appointed a team of people who became responsible for performing that task. The members of the team were: Piotr Sadowski, Iwona Duda, Elżbieta Drobniewska and Omar Saoudi.

Kalisz received financial support for the creation of:

·        Business Incubator,

·        Entrepreneurship Development Fund,

·        Small Business Assistance Centre.

 
Kalisz Business Incubator Centre was registered on 9 September 1994.

Its board members immediately got to work. They established Entrepreneurship Development Fund which offered loans for the unemployed and those willing to set up their own business or expand it, thus, create new jobs.

In July 1995, the first full-time workers were employed. A few months later, the Incubator received the first influx of money from  TOR#10 project. The project consultants frequently and systematically visited Kalisz Business Incubator to supervise its work and progress.

First companies started to move into the Incubator. Moreover, various educational courses were organized in our seat, e.g. free computer courses for the deaf, children; trainings in how to be a good secretary followed by a meeting with a professional cosmetician, one postgraduate course.

In 1999, Kalisz Business Incubator was designated to establish Euro Info Centre – Directorate General for the support of SMEs. In Poland, only 11 other institutions were chosen to perform such a task.

In 2002, Kalisz Business Incubator started a new project - Save Energy Agency. It was financed by the European Commission within the SAVE Programme. The Agency’s most important goals included the promotion of rational use of energy as well as the environmental protection.