The milestone was celebrated at an event today in Warsaw, bringing together Jerzy Kwieciński, Poland’s Minister of Investment and Economic Development and Olav Myklebust, the Norwegian Ambassador to Poland.
The event, that took place at the Polish Ministry of Investment and Economic Development, served as a great opportunity to discuss upcoming funding opportunities and unveil four new programmes: Business Development and Innovation, Culture, Health and Home affairs.
"Bilateral cooperation is an important and integral part of the cooperation with Poland and serves to strengthen ties of knowledge and mutual economic relations. It enables the Donor states to focus on areas where they have strong priorities such as green industry, innovation and gender equality," said Árni Páll Árnason, Deputy Director and Head of the Country and Bilateral Cooperation Department at the EEA and Norway Grants.
The event also included an engaging panel discussion focusing on innovation, research, education and competitiveness, and a keynote on how the EEA and Norway Grants can be used as a tool for improving lives and supporting Polish regions. Among the panellists were Árni Páll Árnason, Deputy Director and Head of the Country and Bilateral Cooperation Department at the EEA and Norway Grants, as well as Tomasz Perkowski, from the Foundation for Polish Science, Natalia Hatalska, from the Infuture Institute, and Paulina Zadura-Lichota, Director of the Enterprise and Innovation Department at the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development.
“The Grants are all about people. It’s a fantastic platform for bringing the people from Poland, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway together," said Olav Myklebust, Norwegian Ambassador to Poland.
Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein have allocated €809.3 million to a total of 11 programmes in Poland for the coming years. That makes Poland the largest beneficiary country of the EEA and Norway Grants and a unique driver of the EEA and Norway Grants’ main goal: a green, competitive and inclusive Europe.
Programme agreements in the field of Justice and Environment, Energy and Climate Change are still being developed.
Next steps
Open calls for proposal will be announced at a later stage. Follow updates on the country page for Poland.
Overview of programmes signed:
Business Development and Innovation - €85 million (Norway Grants)
Programme objective: Increased value creation and sustainable growth in Polish SMEs
Donor programme partner: Innovation Norway
Program operator: Agency for Enterprise Development in Poland
Culture - €75 million (EEA Grants)
Programme objective: Social and economic development strengthened through cultural cooperation, cultural entrepreneurship and cultural heritage management
Donor programme partners: Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage and the Arts Council Norway.
Program operator: Ministry of Culture and National Heritage in Poland
Health - €20 million (Norway Grants)
Programme objective: Improved prevention and reduced inequalities in health
Donor programme partner: Norwegian Directorate of Health
Program operator: Ministry of Health in Poland
Home Affairs - €20 million (Norway Grants)
Programme objective: Strengthened rule of law
Donor programme partners: Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Public Security, Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection
Program operator: Ministry of Interior and Administration in Poland