FUNDACJA ROZWOJU PRZEDSIEBIORCZOSCI IM. PROF. JERZEGO DIETLA

Their core work

The Prof. Jerzy Dietl Foundation is a Polish NGO based in Łódź that helps small and medium enterprises improve their innovation management capabilities. They operate as a regional node of the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), providing SMEs in Central Poland with innovation audits, key account management, and connections to EU funding instruments including the EIC Pilot. More recently, they have expanded into circular economy topics, particularly in agri-food supply chains, through international research mobility partnerships.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their early H2020 work (2015-2018) was tightly focused on local SME innovation capacity building through the KAM2CentralPoland series, centered on innovation audits and key account management for Polish SMEs. From 2019 onward, they broadened in two directions: they joined the ProCEedS research mobility project on circular economy in food systems, and their KAM work began explicitly incorporating EEN branding and EIC Pilot access. This signals a shift from purely regional SME support toward more thematic specialization and international research collaboration.

Moving from generic SME support toward thematic specialization in circular economy and agri-food, while deepening their EEN and EIC facilitation role — likely positioning as a go-to intermediary for food and agriculture SMEs seeking EU innovation support.

How they like to work

Always a participant, never a coordinator — they join consortia rather than lead them. With 17 unique partners across 7 countries, they maintain a moderately broad European network despite their small size. Their repeated participation in the KAM2CentralPoland series (4 editions) suggests they are a reliable, returning partner valued for consistent regional delivery rather than one-off contributions.

Connected to 17 partners across 7 countries, primarily through EEN-related coordination and support actions. Their network likely spans Central and Eastern European EEN nodes with the ProCEedS project adding Southern European research partners.

What sets them apart

Their strength is the combination of deep regional SME access in Central Poland with structured EU innovation support methodology (KAM, EEN, EIC). For consortium builders, this means a partner who can genuinely reach and mobilize Polish SMEs — not just study them on paper. The ProCEedS involvement shows they can bridge the gap between academic circular economy research and practical SME adoption.

Highlights from their portfolio

• KAM2CentralPoland-4
  Their largest funded project (EUR 32,652), representing the mature fourth iteration of their flagship SME innovation support programme with explicit EIC Pilot integration.
• ProCEedS
  Their only MSCA-RISE project and a departure from SME support into circular economy research mobility, signaling thematic diversification into agri-food sustainability.