PNO had a nice talk with Jacek Drożdżal, computer scientist, econometrist from the West Pomeranian Chemical Cluster Green Chemistry Association to discover more about their role within the BIOBESTicide project.
Discover more reading the interview!
Jacek Drożdżal – computer scientist, econometrist, graduate of the University of Szczecin, President of the Management Board of the West Pomeranian Chemical Cluster “Green Chemistry”, He started his work in supporting entrepreneurship and companies applying for available EU aid funds in 2000, conducting numerous meetings and business talks with partners from Poland and abroad, as well as a trainer in institutions conducting business and market training for companies and entrepreneurs. During this period, he was a member of the Regional Steering Committee of the Rural Areas Program at the Marshal of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. In his professional work, he was, among others Head of the Technology Transfer Department at the Regional Innovation Center of the West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin, and since 1993 he has been running his own business at the same time. Since 2007, he has been the President of the Management Board of the West Pomeranian Chemical Cluster “Green Chemistry”. He is a licensed business trainer and the originator and organizer of the West Pomeranian Cluster Forum as well as the International Chemistry Forum EXPO in Szczecin. He was a reviewer of the book entitled “Guide for animators of cluster initiatives in Poland” published by the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development in Warsaw, as well as the author of publications describing the creation and activities of West Pomeranian Clusters: Chemical, Wood, Food and IT, as well as the publication “Creating value in cluster ”published by PARP in 2012. He is also the author of many industry and specialist articles on clustering and industry competence centers and cluster networking. The West Pomeranian Chemical Cluster Green Chemistry Association – is a non-profit association operating at the junction of industry and science since 2007. Its activity focuses on coordinating cooperation between science (universities, institutions and research units) and business (micro, small, medium and large enterprises) ). Cluster members are companies (mainly small and medium-sized enterprises and large), local government units, universities and business support institutions, especially from the region of the West Pomeranian Voivodeship, but also from other regions of Poland (Lubuskie, Pomorskie, Mazowieckie, Śląskie, Wielkopolskie and Podkarpackie voivodeships). ). Currently, the Cluster has approx. 150 members, and over 35,000 people are employed in the companies within the Cluster. In 2019, the companies of the Cluster generated a turnover of over 120 billion. PLN and exported goods for a sum of nearly 85 billion. zlotys. And the companies of the Cluster allocated over PLN 26 billion on research and development. zloty. And over 42% of the Cluster’s companies use Industry 4.0 solutions. The activity of the cluster consists mainly in associating business activities with the latest scientific achievements in order to increase the effectiveness of implementations in companies and more. The great interest of Polish and foreign contractors in the results of the commercialization of the cluster’s work, as well as in work related to sustainable development, contributes to the continuous development of the scientific and technological base. An example of this is joining the Cluster – Technische Universität Berlin, Polymertechnik, Kuunststofftechnikum (Germany). As one of the few Clusters in Poland, visible internationalist activities are carried out for members and friendly companies in the form of numerous economic missions, study visits or exchange of experiences between individual companies from abroad. The Chemical Cluster, thanks to the initiatives and activities for combining science and business in joint design and research activities, was awarded the title of the National Key Cluster in October 2015 (as one of the seven clusters in Poland, and the only one in the West Pomeranian voivodeship and western part of Poland, recertification activities of the Cluster as KKK took place in August 2019 by the Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Technology), awarded by the Minister of Economy of the Republic of Poland. Key National Cluster – is a cluster of significant importance for the country’s economy and high international competitiveness; national key clusters are identified at the national level, incl. based on criteria concerning: critical mass, development and innovation potential, existing and planned cooperation as well as the experience and potential of the coordinator.
The West Pomeranian Chemical Cluster Green Chemistry Association – is an association which, thanks to national and international projects, is actively involved in the value chain of combining science and business. The implemented activities and the Cluster Strategy are based on the directional guidelines related to the Green Order and the implementations and assumptions of Industry 4.0, as well as the activities of the future industry and bioeconomy in a closed circuit.
Thanks to our international partners, it is another project related to the bioeconomy, which fits fully into our strategic activities. Thanks to the BIOBESTIcide project, we can become even more involved in the stream of pro-ecological activities and contribute to increasing the idea of a circular economy. Thanks to this project, we can promote those solutions that are developmental and bring the intended results in the activities of the bioeconomy.
As an organization, we are involved in the desimination of the project and its dissemination among broadly understood consumers. We are responsible for the production of video / photo materials from project meetings and for promoting the activities of individual project partners. The task of WP 7 is to disseminate the results of the project, which will be implemented throughout the duration of the project. It is fully dedicated to disseminating the acquired knowledge and objectives of the project to stakeholders, the scientific community and policy makers, as well as to the broad audience – entrepreneurs.
Bioeconomy is an element of a very strong and dynamic development for the entire European Union. As research shows, it is a very strong selment stimulating its development. In 10 years time, this sector may bring significant revenues to the budgets of individual countries. It is also worth noting that the circular economy forces pro-ecological actions and modernization of the already existing value chains of supplies and services. The bioeconomy can become a key area for stimulating host growth in rural and coastal areas. New projects and research carried out in this area at the junction of science and industry may bring new ecological solutions favoring the social inclusion of endangered areas. Thanks to the appropriate operation of the Bioeconomy, we can manage natural resources in a sustainable manner in the coming years and contribute to a greater use of secondary raw materials.
I think this year should be a kind of stabilization for all of us after 2 years of restrictions and restrictions related to COVID-19. We want us to be able to take full advantage of our meetings with project partners in their workplaces and to present their activities. So that we can take full advantage of the available media – in order to disseminate the project more widely to a wide audience. So that this year we can meet together and discuss issues related to the implemented project.