The National Centre for Research and Development

NCBR-NAP acceleration activity is meant to enable the start of a long-term cooperation between companies and institutions from Poland and the State of Nevada in various areas of innovation, such as medicine, education and innovative agriculture. This is to contribute to the commercialisation of technological solutions on offer and to support cooperative forms of R&D activity. The first cohort comprised companies related to innovative solutions in the field of materials used in building structures, hydrogen transport and storage, IT in the sale of products and services, food and nano-printing.

2 years were worth the wait

After the Demo Day held in February with pitches and presentations of 11 companies which were subsequently assessed by experts from Poland and Nevada, the top 10 was selected in March. Divided into two cohorts of five, the group travels to Nevada to fulfill its American dream.

- It was well worth waiting those two difficult, pandemic years to be able to meet you in Nevada. You have demonstrated a great deal of patience and determination in maintaining and further developing your businesses in such a difficult period for entrepreneurs, especially those with a short history of operation. I listened to your pitches during Demo Day in Warsaw with admiration. Now it is time to introduce yourselves to Nevada mentors and investors in person, and on their turf. I keep my fingers crossed for your success – Agnieszka Ratajczak, Director of NCBR Office of International Cooperation, rallied the troops in Reno.

Well-prepared participants

The Nevada Governor's Office for Economic Development (GOED) is responsible for the preparation of the programme and the acceleration process itself. Prof. Paweł Pietrasieński of the Warsaw School of Economics, also International Trade Director at GOED, is the main brains behind the process.

- NCBR-Nevada Acceleration Program is the first nationwide acceleration activity implemented on the basis of the Memorandum of Cooperation between Poland and Nevada, addressed to companies from across Poland. I am impressed by the participants of both cohorts. Already in February during the Demo Day, the pitches and presentations of the vast majority of companies showed strongly innovative ideas for business and highly substantive preparation. A couple of months have passed and I can see that the companies have not been idle. The presentations are even better and the awareness of the goals to be achieved in Nevada - even greater. Entrepreneurs actively participate in meetings, deliver convincing pitches and ask us concrete questions. My colleagues from Nevada are very positively surprised – praised Prof. Pietrasieński.

Intense acceleration

GOED has prepared a very intensive acceleration programme. Each day is almost filled with various meetings from 9 to 5. Due to the differences in the way business is conducted in the north and south of Nevada, each cohort spends several days in both Reno and Las Vegas. In Reno, among others, companies meet representatives of Business Assembly - Platinum Group, InNevation Center at the University of Reno, Ozmen Center for Entrepreneurship and visit Tesla Gigafactory. In Las Vegas, in turn, they visit Black Fire Innovation Center, StartUpNV, Mędrala Law Firm, International Innovation Center and Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce. An interesting break is the meeting with John Petkus, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Poland in Nevada, who shares hist vast knowledge of the history of Poles in Nevada and the beginnings of their business activities there.

- An important element of the programme was a meeting at the International Innovation Center in Las Vegas. NCBR-NAP participants could learn about the local ecosystem of supporting innovation and benefits from developing companies in the south of Nevada. Even more importantly, they listened to first-hand experiences of Polish entrepreneurs who actively and successfully operate in Las Vegas. It was a tangible proof of not only the Polish can-do attitude and entrepreneurial spirit, but also a confirmation of how effective can the GOED-run acceleration be. One of the Polish entrepreneurs, Dr. Rafał H. Kartaszyński, decided to continue his career in Nevada as a result of the regional acceleration program NLAB, which had been carried out together with GOED by the Lubelskie Voivodeship – emphasised Cezary Błaszczyk, Director of the Department of International Cooperation at NCBR, who accompanied the May cohort.

The participants of the first cohort themselves did not hide their satisfaction. - To me the programme was very successful. It tried to comprehensively present the opportunities that Nevada offers for the development of companies. The opinions from local industry specialists, including Poles, who came to Nevada 2 years ago and walked the entire path from the establishment and registration of the company right up to its successful development were some unique food for thought. It was also important that we could meet in person, because we would have never achieved such an effect remotely -  summed up Tomasz Bogucki of Flyzone Sp. z o.o.

Konrad Kwiecień of Flex&Robust Systems Sp. z o.o. echoed Bogucki’s views. - I rate the whole event very positively. You could learn a lot of information about what needs to be done to start and run a business in Nevada. We were also offered many networking opportunities and told about places where you can find help in business development. The conclusions of local mentors were also very valuable - we found out about what we already do well and what could be improved.

More about NCBR-NAP acceleration activity can be found at: https://www.gov.pl/web/ncbr-en/other-initiatives

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The pilot edition of the NCBR-NAP was launched in 2020. The aim of the activity is to connect the innovative ecosystems of Poland and the State of Nevada through the acceleration of young technology companies registered in Poland on the American market, selected in a competitive procedure, using the experience of mentors from the State of Nevada and related institutions.