The Kosciuszko Institute as a tried and tested consortium member and grant Partner

The Kosciuszko Institute has for 20 years been consistent in forging lasting partnerships with a wide range of entities which regard security, dynamic growth, political and economic stability as paramount. Due to its leading position the think tank cooperates with the best analysts the world over, thus giving rise to many pioneering and innovative ventures. As a leader among Polish NGOs, the Kosciuszko Institute is spearheading a number of national and international projects dedicated to security issues in their numerous guises. As it enlists the cooperation of key stakeholders from politics and business as well as representatives of international organisations and the NGO sector, the Institute initiates the social and political debate over the crucial challenges facing Poland, Europe and the world.

The array of institutions which are the partners for our initiatives and projects includes: European Parliament, European Commission, NATO, Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland, Chancellery of the President of Poland, National Security Bureau, Poland’s Ministry of Development, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of National Defence, Ministry of Digital Affairs, Ministry of the Interior and Administration, Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Ministry of Infrastructure and Development, Ministry of Finance, Government Centre for Security, National Bank of Poland, Polish Financial Supervision Authority, Supreme Audit Office, Ministry of Energy, National Public Prosecutor’s Office, World Bank.

We are a trusted and responsible Partner of both grant-seeking and tender-submitting consortia. We are open to project-based cooperation. We have experience spanning multiple years in implementing grant-financed projects which use public funds, both at the state and EU levels.

To start working in partnership, contact us at: tomasz.piekarz@ik.org.pl.

Examples of successfully implemented national and international projects:

European Cybersecurity Forum – CYBERSEC

Co-financed by: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland, NATO, US Consulate General in Kraków

First in Poland and one of the few in Europe regular public policy conference event dedicated to strategic topics in cyberspace and cybersecurity. Held since 2015, CYBERSEC has been heralded as one of the five most important event of this kind in Europe. It takes place in Katowice, Kraków, Warsaw, Brussels, Washington and, in the time of COVID-19, online, gathering acclaimed leaders and experts to bolster the foundations of the digital world. Among CYBERSEC Forum participants are representatives of public administration, government institutions, uniformed services, expert and academic bodies, international organisations, think tanks and the private sector, along with all cybersecurity and new technology stakeholders. In the last edition of the conference – CYBERSEC CEE 2019 – over 130 speakers more than 17,000 participants from all over the world took part.

The Digital 3 Seas Initiative

Co-financed by: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland

The Digital 3 Seas Initiative, created by the Association, is a collection of cross-border projects and initiatives that aim to develop digital infrastructure, joint investment and R&D and political as well as legislative concepts to be put into effect at the EU level. Its cornerstone is to join the security-by-design idea with the digital transformation of the public and private sectors. The Digital 3 Seas Initiative relies on transport and energy infrastructure networks that form the backbone of the Initiative and plans to supplement them with a cyber dimension. The Initiative’s vital elements are the development of digital infrastructure in the era of 5G technology, joint investments in state-of-the-art technologies such as the Internet of Things, blockchain and AI, strategic and tactical partnerships for fighting threats and misinformation. The publication written in the course of the project was firmly based on a methodology which ensured a thorough analysis of the circumstances in individual CEE states in relation to the problem areas that the in-depth analysis was planned for, e.g. common infrastructural projects, coming up with common security models and best practices related to 5G network roll-out, free flow of data, common technology initiatives and research and education cooperation, accelerating the digital transformation in the region’s economies, fostering trade, support for developing selected Economy 4.0 sectors, security cooperation in light of hybrid threats and strengthening the region’s cybersecurity via education initiatives among others. The study was prepared with input from experts affiliated with top institutions who also made it their aim to identify tangible cooperation opportunities within the region and to overcome the pinpointed problems in the most relevant and effective way. Thanks to this, the newly created roadmap has the chance to actually reinforce the policy side of the regional cooperation between the states.

CYBERSEC in MAŁOPOLSKA

Co-financed by: Regional Operational Programme for Małopolskie Voivodeship for 2014–2020

The problems Małopolska’s SMEs, including startups, struggle with are mostly capital and financial shortages which make it impossible to promote their products widely abroad, grave difficulties in reaching the investors that are interested in innovative products, lack of professional mentoring by people who could advise them on investor procurement and foreign market penetration to begin or develop export activities, lack of knowledge on how to establish investor relations, how to enter foreign markets, how and where to sell innovative products. The CYBERSEC in MAŁOPOLSKA projects wishes to respond to all these needs. The aim of the project is not only to encourage Małopolska’s startups to expand their cybersecurity product and service offer but also to motivate investors to support the innovative actions of startups and SMEs. The platform CYBERSEC HUB and the European Cybersecurity Journal were set up as part of the undertaking.

Middle-income trap in V4 countries?

Co-financed by: International Visegrad Fund

The project aims to increase the level of specialised and practical knowledge regarding economic policy mechanisms and the solution which could contribute to avoiding the situation called middle-income trap in the Visegrad countries. The project’s goal was to produce recommendations in line with the current economic needs of the Visegrad countries. As part of the project activities, two publications were prepared, a conference in Warsaw with V4 countries’ representatives was held as well as regional conferences.

Closer Europe – Polish-Ukrainian workshop

Co-financed by: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland

The “Closer Europe – Polish-Ukrainian workshop” project was addressed to the younger section of Ukrainian society (pupils, students, young teachers) and aimed to familiarise this social group with the issues related to the European integration in its broad sense. The direct beneficiaries of the project (participants in the training courses) were primarily young, socially active Ukrainians – leaders of NGO and academic communities – coming from the central and eastern regions and interested in their country’s future in the European Union.

Towards the shared area of law-governed states in Central-Eastern Europe

Co-financed by: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Polish-American Freedom Foundation

The project’s aim was to impart Polish economic transition experience and recommendations as well as proposals for change issued on its basis whose implementation in Ukraine is possible. The project was carried out in two stages, of which the first addressed the control mechanisms and audit assumptions in Ukrainian local government units (co-financing: Polish-American Freedom Foundation within the scope of RITA 2005 programme), and the second targeted barrier elimination to increase the protection of investor rights in Ukraine. As part of the scheduled activities, training courses were conducted in Poland and Ukraine.