Poland 3.0 Project: A New Silk Road

Called Polska 3.0, the project is a non-political, grassroots initiative by business clusters, research clusters and local government authorities. Promising to become the largest infrastructure project in Europe, Polska 3.0 was presented to hundreds of politicians, businessmen and researchers who attended the congress in Dąbrowa Górnicza March 31-April 1.
Polska 3.0 is a multi-modal transportation system taking advantage of Poland’s location at an intersection of key European transportation corridors. The project involves the modernization of local inland navigation starting with the Oder River in the west, the construction of a new canal in the Silesia region in the south, and a new logistics center at Gorzyczki-Wierzniowice on the Polish-Czech border. The new system will be then connected to a wide-gauge railroad as part of what has been nicknamed the New Silk Road.

All of these projects are the prerequisite for the efficient restructuring of the mining industry in the Silesia region, so the resulting cutting-edge coal mines, clean coal installations and hydrogen technology can help reindustrialize the area. The process will involve the reskilling of local workers to teach them to extract and utilize methane. Such new technology will enable sustainable projects at former mines that will be modeled after similar projects in the Ruhr and Saar regions of Germany. More than 50,000 workers could be reskilled as part of Polska 3.0, which would allow for the project to receive state aid. All of the key Polska 3.0 projects are based in Silesia, so that no workers would need to be relocated.

Apart from Polska 3.0, the second Cluster World Convention showcased leading Polish startups, innovation and technology developed jointly by various business and research clusters. The organizers sought to underscore the private sector’s contribution to Poland’s economic growth.

Polska 3.0 is expected to strengthen cross-border cooperation, which is why the convention drew many visitors from abroad. The largest delegations came from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Ukraine and Germany, and the attendees included government officials from the Czech Republic, Poland, Ukraine, Hungary, China and Slovakia as well as European Commission officials.

The second Cluster World Cluster was organized by the Polish National Cluster of Innovative Enterprises, the Upper Silesia Development Committee, the Silesia Province Marshal’s Office and the City of Dąbrowa Górnicza.

Source: The Warsaw Voice and Polish Press Agency (PAP)

Angelika Jarosławska
Koordynator Projektu
Polska 3.0