UK-Polish TechChallenge launched in Warsaw

The UK-Polish TechChallenge is a new initiative bringing together large corporations and tech start-ups to support and promote innovation in both countries. During the programme, large firms will identify challenges for which they need technological solutions, and start-ups will then pitch innovative solutions for them.

The pilot edition of the TechChallenge, to focus on the fintech and cleantech sectors, was launched on Thursday by British Embassy Warsaw, the Polish Ministry of Development and the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development.

Poland’s Minister of Development, Jadwiga Emilewicz, said:

The UK is, and will always remain, a key partner for Poland. Our ties are strong. With the help of the UK-Polish TechChallenge, we want to strengthen these relations on one more level: by supporting a partnership of large companies and innovative start-ups. Such cooperation enables small, but flexible and creative companies to strengthen the innovativeness of already established giants, which, in return, will get support in their development and access to new sources of inspiration. This is a programme that meets the realities of the 4.0 economy and its challenges.

British Ambassador to Poland, Jonathan Knott, said:

The UK-Polish TechChallenge is based on three ideas: first, that large companies often have problems that they need to solve, and the solution often requires an innovative approach or a new technology. Second, that both our countries have innovative small companies that offer solutions to those challenges. Third, that by bringing together our tech ecosystems, and building on each other’s strengths, we help each other meet the challenges we both face. And both countries benefit from it, as do big corporations, small business and start-ups.

VIce-President of the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development, Adam Banaszak, said:

We are inviting large companies looking for fintech and cleantech solutions, whether for their own use or for commercial use, as well as smaller companies willing to provide these solutions, to take part in the programme. In this way, we are encouraging an exchange of best practices and supporting cooperation of the Polish and British technological ecosystems.