Business Environment

In the ¦l±skie Voivodeship, there are nearly 200 business environment institutions, such as: regional and local development agencies, chambers: economic, industrial, commercial, craft guilds, centres for supporting the enterprise, counselling and economic information as well as economic associations. The fundamental activity objective of the organisations supporting the enterprise is to increase the competitiveness of the small- and medium-sized enterprises as well as their development. Most often, these companies offer counselling and consulting services (including also those in the scope of adopting the modern techniques and technologies, implementing the quality management systems, acquiring certificates as well as the domestic and European Union financial resources for the company development), the wide range of training services, the basic and specialist information services, financial services, such as granting loans, guarantees, credit guarantees, aid in initiating business contacts, among others, by organising economic and commercial missions, business meetings, etc. 

Among the most important regional institutions there is the Regional Economic Chamber, Chamber of Crafts, Chamber of Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprise in Katowice, Silesian Agricultural Chamber, the Upper Silesian Regional Development Agency (GARR), functioning as the regional financing institution, the Upper Silesian Agency for Enterprise Transformation (GAPP) as well as the Upper Silesian Fund. Furthermore, it is the loan, guarantee and venture capital funds that operate within the region. The most active one is the Regional Guarantee Fund as well we the loan funds, operating at GARR and GAPP. In the Voivodeship, there are also the enterprise incubators as well as the industrial and technological parks. The innovative activities in the region are supported by the Regional Centre for Information and Technology Transfer. The financial services network is also well-developed: there are 4 bank headquarters here, 26 commercial banks with 600 branches and agendas as well as 117 co-operative bank facilities. The region is the second one in Poland in terms of exhibitions and fairs. The Katowice International Fairs are the most significant in this scope as well as the fair events organised in the biggest in Poland show & sports hall - "Spodek".