Kalisz Business Incubator Foundation was founded in September 1994 as a non-governmental organisation that included an entrepreneurship development fund and small business assistance centre.
The Kalisz Business Incubator Foundation was funded initially under the World Bank “Employment Promotion and Services Project” and its “small business development” project component, which supported the establishment of 24 incubators across Poland.

The Board of Directors consists of two members, the President, Mr Piotr Sadowski, who has day-to-day operational responsibility for the Foundation and Mr Kazimierz Mochalski, board member. The foundation staff includes technical personnel, loan officers and innovation and technology specialists who deliver the day-to-day activities of the foundation.

Kalisz Business Incubator Foundation is located in Kalisz (Central Poland) which is generally accepted to be the oldest City in Poland. The City is a regional industrial and commercial centre with aero engine and food processing among its industries and is located centrally between the larger cities of Poznan, Wroclaw and Lodz.



Historically Kalisz Business Incubator Foundation has had as its mission the importance of developing a “strong sector of Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises that will contribute to the development of the middle class in Poland and the continuation of democratic development”. In delivery the incubator has focused on being a support mechanism for regional economic development through its support for entrepreneurship, access to finance, access to lower cost premises and business counseling and training.

Alongside its physical provision of tenant space the business incubator through its foundation provides: loans for SMEs and new business start-ups; training courses, seminars and conferences; business start-up information and access to European technology transfer and partnership development.



The Incubator is a member of the Enterprise Europe Network - the world's largest network for business support, set up by the European Commission. It consists of over 40 countries, combines nearly 600 organizations and 4,000 professionals providing services for businesses. Enterprise Europe Network provides small and medium sized businesses with free, comprehensive information services as well as consulting and training.


The Incubator is a part of the National SME Services Network, a network set up by the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development, a group of organizations specialized in providing advisory, information, training and financial services for micro, small and medium-sized entrepreneurs and entities undertaking business activity.

The business incubation environment is divided between offices and production facilities. Kalisz Business Incubator Foundation offers its tenants telephony services, car parking, in-house security, library, computer training suite and access to free meeting rooms. The business incubator offers rooms to rent at a competitive price with charges 10% to 20% less than similar commercial environments in Kalisz.
A conference centre with access to a conference room for 200 delegates and a smaller room for 40 delegates is available.

        
 
       
 
Based in an old industrial premises that has been comprehensively renovated (see pictures below) and extended in 2002/03 the incubator has a floor space 5,408m2 incorporating production facilities, office units and administrative offices currently supporting 24 companies. Given its geographical location and local economic characteristics the incubator has a mixed profile of tenants including ICT, healthcare and media based companies.


              



          


           


The current and longer-term vision for Kalisz is to become a technology incubator where “science, industry and entrepreneurship meet” and to be a link between science, education and the local economy. This vision is included within the Innovative development strategy for Wielkopolska with plans to; incubate new industrial technologies (e.g. energy efficiency, low carbon technologies) develop socioeconomic science; create a new seed capital fund; and to extend cooperation with European and International partners particularly through engagement in European funded programmes and funds.

Contact details:
Kalisz Business Incubator Foundation
ul. Czestochowska 25
62-800 Kalisz
Poland
Phone number: +48 62 764 12 42
Fax number: +48 62 764 50 16
email sekretariat@kip.kalisz.pl