SUMMARY

Conference „Building Bridges in V4 Aviation Community” behind us!

The conference took place in Bielsko - Biała on 25-26th of November. The main organizer of the conference was the Silesian Aviation Cluster.

The meeting of representatives of clusters from the Visegrad Group countries was the first meeting of cluster organizations dedicated to the aviation industry of the V4 Region, organized within the project „Building Bridges in V4 Aviation Community"; by the Silesian Aviation Cluster and supported by the International Visegrad Fund based in Bratislava.

The main objective of the project was to establish and strengthen cooperation between representatives of V4 countries operating in one of the most innovative branches of the world economy - the aviation industry.

Where did the idea for such a conference come from? The aviation industry is one of the most global business activities. The most important role in global competition belong to large international players, but nowdays a great amount of innovation is created also in small and medium-sized enterprises. Because of it they have to organise themselves into larger groups, such as clusters, in order to create a common offer for large partners. Agreements concluded by aircraft manufacturers are often of a cross-border nature.

As Krzysztof Krystowski - President of the Silesian Aviation Cluster and the Association of Employers Polish Clusters points out: There are already initiatives consisting in international cooperation and preparation of personnel for the aviation industry - the Visegrad Group countries, whose cultural and geographical proximity predestines such activities, should develop a similar path of cooperation.

According to the Deputy Minister of the Fund and Regional Policy – Grzegorz Puda it is not true that nothing is happening in Poland when it comes to the aviation industry. - In fact, we have a lot of successes. Just mention the Diana 2 or, I hope, Diana 3 gliders. These are our flagship products. Many countries and producers envy us what Podbeskidzie or Podkarpacie manages to produce. It happens thanks to aviation enthusiasts - he said in Bielsko-Biała.

Deputy Minister reminds us that airplanes are still being create in the Beskid region. He said: Just talk about Avionic or Margański-Mysłowski plants. The drone industry is also developing rapidly in Poland. We are one of the European leaders in their use. We have heard that in Warsaw, for example, they will be used to transport blood.

On the first day of the conference the Silesian Aviation Cluster signed two letters of intent: the first with the Silesian Voivodeship and the second with the Upper Silesian Fund concerning the declaration of intent of the parties to cooperate in order to implement activities for the promotion of the region and innovation of the local environment with particular emphasis on the Silesian Aviation Cluster, enterprises and other entities gathered in the cluster and building a platform for cooperation between the local government, universities, business and the local community.

The aviation industry is a huge economic potential that can be developed with great success. Despite the dominance of large corporations in the global market, there are still areas, such as the design and manufacture of unmanned aerial vehicles, in which Polish technical thought has a good chance of global success. As the Management Board of the Silesian Voivodeship we believe that it is in innovative technologies that the economic future depemds on. Because of it we want to cooperate with Silesian Aviation Cluster said Beata Białowąs, who together with Krzysztof Krystowski, President of the Silesian Aviation Cluster and the Association of Employers Polish Clusters, and Jarosław Bulanda, Vice-President of the Silesian Aviation Cluster signed the document.

Another important document signed in Bielsko-Biała was the Declaration for the Drone Valley, initiated by the Silesian Aviation Cluster and the Ministry of Infrastructure. Anyone who is interested in the development of the drones market in our country can join it. As Krzysztof Krystowski emphasized: We want to create a Drone Valley in Silesia. The Silesian Aviation Cluster in its structures focuses the appropriate potential, manufacturers and research institutions and we believe that we are a completely natural place for the development of this market, this industry on a national scale.

The two-day conference consisted of 7 thematic panels:

• Drones as a new branch of aviation industry.

• Pilot project „testing ground” for drones and their applications in urban areas, implemented in the Metropolia Śląsko – Zagłebiowska area.

• Partictipation of the aviation companies from the V4 Group in the value added chain of sector AerospaceDefence Europe and World.

• Automotive and aviation industries. Common areas of research, new technologies. Industry of V4 countries and European cooperation.

• The possibility of implementing joint aviation projects by the industries of the V4 countries.

• The importance of the ICT sector and its connections with the aviation industry. Digitisation as a carrier of the industrial revolution 4. 0 in the aviation industry

• Space industry - a promising new industrial area for V4 companies. Interactions and opportunities for common research and production areas for both sectors of the economy.

Speeches of some of the panelists on the topics discussed during the conference:

Cooperation is possible at a good level if the drone sector itself is strong, has funding and projects - Małgorzata Darowska, Proxy of the Minister of Infrastructure for UAV, U-Space,

Our projects show that our engineers, our companies offer world-class products that do not differ from foreign companies. Technically and technologically, we have achievements. Certainly, we need to focus on ensuring that unmanned systems are as autonomous and unmanned as possible - Sylwester Wyka, Deputy Director, Research Network Łukasiewicz - Institute of Aviation

We see drones as a new type of aviation - Tomasz Gugała, Director of the SBSP Program, Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowej S.A.

We did an analysis of the needs of unmanned systems. Our task was to provide a specific service solution. We needed a tool to coordinate unmanned flights with manned aviation - but we need an organised environment that allows for such services - Karol Cheda, HAWK-E Sp. z o.o. (Group of Jastrzębska Spółka Węglowa)

We are dealing with development of drone technologies at the same time in different areas. What are we missing here? Implementation of these technologies in urban areas- Małgorzata Darowska, Proxy of the Minister of Infrastructure for UAV, U-Space,

At our airport we have prepared a special investment zone of 15 hectares and we are able to engage in this investment project - Bogdan Traczyk, President of Upper Silesian Agency for Entrepreneurship and Development Ltd.

„We have a lot of global companies in the cluster that have created a local network of subcontractors. About a hundred small companies have been established, which locate their companies at larger companies in the air valley to make it easier for them to enter into cooperation with them" – Andrzej Rybka, Director of Aviation Valley

We have our own wholesaler and machine park. We are developing all the time - Piotr Buchart, Label of Communication Equipment "PZL-Kalisz" S.A

If we want to do something really good for SMEs, which are not partners for big players themselves, it is necessary to cooperate e. g. within a cluster, which can already be a partner for big players with its offer of companies that have organized themselves - Krzysztof Krystowski, President of the Silesian Aviation Cluster and the Association of Employers Polish Clusters

Within the framework of international cooperation, we have proved ourselves. The initiative, cooperation is developing beautifully, this cooperation concerns production and research and development - Edward Margański, Honorary Member of Silesian Aviation Cluster

The company is working on a drone management system through the use of satellite data - Jacek Kosiec, President, Creotech Instruments S. A.

The event was attended by, among others: Grzegorz Puda, Deputy Minister of the Fund and Regional Policy, Małgorzata Darowska, , Proxy of the Minister of Infrastructure for UAV, U-Space, Beata Białowąs, Member of the Management Board of the Silesian Voivodeship Jarosław Klimaszewski, Mayor of Bielsko-Biała,, Andrzej Płonka Bielsko Staroste, Kazimierz Karolczak, President of the Metropolis GZM .Sylwester Wyka, Deputy Director, Research Network Łukasiewicz - Institute of Aviation, Tomasz Gugała, , Director of the SBSP Program, Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowej S.A.., Bogdan Traczyk, President of Upper Silesian Agency for Entrepreneurship and Development Ltd. Petr Tomasek, Executive Manager, Moravian Aerospace Cluster, Andrzej Rybka, Director of Aviation Valley, Piotr Burchard, Label of Communication Equipment "PZL-Kalisz" S.A Łukasz Górecki, Silesia Adavanced & Manufacturing Cluster prof. dr hab. inż. Aleksander Olejnik, Military University of Technology Edward Margański, Zakłady Lotnicze Margański&Mysłowski S.A., dr hab. inż. Anna Timofiejczuk, Silesian University of Technology., dr Krystyna Wiaderny-Bidzińska, Department of Innovation, Ministry of Development, Andrzej Krajewski, ITM Poland S.A.,prof. dr hab. Wojciech Moczulski, Silesian University of Technology, Skytech Products Sp. z o.o., Anna Stańczyk, Polish Space Agency, Mariusz Andrzejczak, Director of PCO S.A., Michał Wierciński, Director of the Office of Space and Satellite Technologies, Polska Grupa Zbrojeniowa S.A Bartłomiej Płonka, President, Silesian Science and Technology Centre of Aviation Industry Ltd. Jacek Kosiec, President, Creotech Instruments S.A.

The special guest of the event was Sebastian Kawa - Polish physician, glider pilot and sports sailor, fifteen times world champion in glider competitions, multiple world record holder in gliding, for many years at the forefront of the world glider pilots ranking, the most titled glider pilot in history.