FUNDACJA KALISKI INKUBATOR PRZEDSIE BIORCZOSCI

Their core work

Kalisz Incubator of Entrepreneurship Foundation is a Polish business support organization that helps SMEs in the West Poland region improve their innovation capacity and access EU funding instruments. Their core work revolves around the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) Key Account Management (KAM) programme, where they provide mentoring, coaching, and hands-on guidance to small businesses navigating Horizon 2020's SME Instrument. They have also contributed to urban mobility policy research through the SPROUT project, bringing a regional incubator perspective to EU-level transport planning.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

From 2015 to 2019, their work was entirely focused on the EEN Key Account Management programme — helping West Poland SMEs build innovation capacity and access the SME Instrument. Starting in 2019, they branched into urban mobility research through the SPROUT project, while continuing their KAM activities in parallel. This suggests a gradual diversification from pure SME support into thematic policy areas where their regional incubator perspective adds value.

They are beginning to apply their regional business support expertise to thematic EU research projects, which could make them a useful partner for consortia needing grassroots SME engagement or regional pilot sites in Poland.

How they like to work

They have exclusively participated as a partner — never as coordinator — which is consistent with their role as a regional support organization joining larger EU networks. With 38 unique partners across 16 countries, they have built a surprisingly broad network for their size, largely through the EEN KAM programme's multi-country consortia. They are a reliable, low-maintenance consortium member rather than a project driver.

Despite their modest project count, they have worked with 38 partners across 16 countries, primarily through EEN's multi-country KAM consortia. Their network is geographically diverse but functionally narrow — mostly other EEN nodes and innovation agencies.

What sets them apart

Their value lies in providing direct access to the SME ecosystem in the Kalisz/West Poland region — a less saturated market compared to Warsaw or Wrocław. For consortia needing a Polish regional partner with hands-on experience in SME mentoring and innovation coaching, they offer a proven track record through four rounds of EEN KAM participation. Their incubator infrastructure also makes them a practical choice for projects requiring local demonstration or pilot engagement with small businesses.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SPROUT
  Their only research-oriented project and sole source of direct EC funding (EUR 27,625), marking a diversification from pure SME support into urban mobility policy research.
• KAM2WP_2020_2021
  The latest iteration of their flagship KAM programme, showing expanded services including mentoring, coaching, and EIMC (European Innovation Management Capacity) support.