The new program, "PFR for Cities," will support local governments in their creation of innovative solutions – from inspiration to implementation

The largest database of urban innovations, an educational program addressed at members of local governments and contest City of the Future 2050, in which the winning city has the opportunity to finance innovative solutions – it is the proposition of the latest PFR program for Cities, organised by the Polish Development Fund.

PFR for Cities was an answer to challenges faced by local governments – digitisation, increased comfort of life of residents and need for alternative forms of investment. It is intended for local governments which want to enhance the competences of their employees, create organisational structures for the implementation of innovative solutions and think strategically about the future of their cities. The scheme is based on three pillars – education, counselling and financing, which come together to make the complete path for the development of smart solutions, from inspiration, through the development of the concept, to the strategy conceived with the support of experts and opportunity to finance it.

The basis for stable development is constant improvement. We introduce new quality through a bold economic vision and exposing Polish cities to smart, citizen-friendly solutions. The Smart City is not only a concept. It involves solutions which make life in Polish cities more healthy, safe and comfortable

– says Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.

A strong economy and high quality of public services require not only the development of new technologies but also the skill in their effective use. The implementation of smart solutions in cities improves the quality of life of their residents, allows the more efficient management of the city and, most importantly, it can prevent depopulation, giving the local community a new impulse for development

– says Paweł Borys, President of PFR

At pfrdlamiast.pl PFR shares the database of urban innovations, where you can find examples of smart solutions, which have been successfully implemented in small-, medium- and large-sized cities. The examples contain a description of each project, issues solved thanks to it, benefits from its use or recommendations, thanks to which they can serve as a tool of inspiration for other cities. Any local government which has implemented an innovative project and would like to show it to the whole of Poland can upload it to the database at any time.

Before we created the framework of the PFR for Cities, we had asked a group of Polish local governments what they needed for the implementation of smart solutions in their cities. The majority indicated the lack of sufficient knowledge and funds. Therefore, we figured that the local governments could use a professional educational scheme within the framework of which the leading Polish experts would impart their knowledge, for instance about how to finance investments at local governments, how to implement innovative solutions in administration through GovTech Poland, a new formula in the public procurement law. This is how the Academy of the Cities of Future came to be – a free-of-charge series of training courses during which we hope to train future leaders of technological projects in Polish cities

– explains Eliza Kruczkowska, Director of the Innovation Development Department at PFR.

The pilot edition of the Academy is intended for the representatives of 45 mid-sized cities (between 50 and 100 thousand residents), aimed at preparing the members of their local governments for challenges related to the digital transformation of the economy. During the total of 17 days of training, which will take place from 2 April to 19 November 2020, the participants will gain the skills requisite to prepare the development strategy for their cities in eight areas:

• management of the city,
• urban mobility,
• power generation and the environment,
• business and entrepreneurship,
• education,
• housing,
• security
• and health care.

The project will be concluded with the final gala event, during which the participants of the Academy will take part in the contest entitled City of the Future 2050, by presenting their visions for the development of innovations in their cities. From among them, the jury will select the most interesting, in the jury's estimation, project, to receive the opportunity for implementation through the Polish Development Fund.

The representatives of the mid-sized cities can send their applications for the program until 20 March 2020 via a special form..

More information on PFR for Cities can be found on the dedicated website at pfrdlamiast.pl.