IZBA PRZEMYSLOWO - HANDLOWA W KRAKOWIE

Their core work

The Krakow Chamber of Commerce and Industry is a regional business support organization in southern Poland that helps SMEs access EU innovation funding and coaching services. Through the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), they provide key account management for SME Instrument, Fast Track to Innovation, and EIC Pilot beneficiaries — essentially guiding small companies through the EU funding landscape. They also support SMEs in strengthening their innovation management capabilities, acting as a bridge between EU programmes and the local business ecosystem in the Małopolska region.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

From 2014 to 2016, the chamber focused on establishing basic SME innovation coaching services within the Enterprise Europe Network, helping local companies access the SME Instrument and develop innovation strategies. From 2017 onward, the scope expanded to cover additional EU funding instruments — Fast Track to Innovation (FTI) and FET-Open were added by 2019, and by 2020 the focus shifted to the new EIC Pilot, reflecting the EU's own evolution of its innovation support architecture. The chamber adapted its services in lockstep with Brussels, always staying current with whichever funding tool was available to SMEs.

They are tracking the EU's shift from SME Instrument to the European Innovation Council, positioning themselves as a regional EIC support hub for Polish SMEs.

How they like to work

The chamber has never coordinated an H2020 project, always participating as a partner — consistent with their role as a regional support node in larger EU-wide networks. With 16 unique partners across 5 countries, they work within moderately sized consortia. Their repeated participation in the same project series (KAM2SouthPL across four phases) suggests they are a stable, reliable partner that maintains long-term relationships within established networks rather than seeking new consortia each cycle.

They have collaborated with 16 unique partners across 5 countries, likely concentrated among EEN member organizations in Central and Southern Europe. Their network is functional rather than expansive — built around recurring EEN service delivery partnerships.

What sets them apart

As one of Poland's oldest chambers of commerce (Krakow region), they bring deep connections to the local SME ecosystem that pure consultancies cannot match. Their six consecutive years of KAM project participation (2014-2021) demonstrate rare continuity in EU innovation support — they know which local companies need help and have the trust relationships already built. For anyone needing a gateway to SMEs in southern Poland, this is the established go-to intermediary.

Highlights from their portfolio

• Q-Tales
  Their only non-EEN project and largest single grant (EUR 60,375), showing capacity to contribute beyond pure business support — in creative digital content ecosystems.
• KAM2SouthPL2
  Ran across four consecutive phases (2015-2021), demonstrating sustained EU trust and the chamber's role as a permanent SME innovation coaching node in southern Poland.