Innovation left high and dry in Warsaw?

The planned TechnoPort Warsaw Technology Park development appears to be in serious jeopardy. Despite having been lauded as a chance for the capital to show off its scientific potential and develop innovative business technologies, in February the scheme was put on the Ministry of Regional Development's reserve list for funding. Now it seems that the city authorities are considering cancelling the project altogether, according to Życie Warszawy's unofficial sources.

Last summer, €53 (zł.186.7) million in EU development funds was allocated for the first phase of the TechnoPort project, which was then on the Ministry of Regional Development's main funding list. The scheme's second phase was left on the reserve list.

TechnoPort suffered a number of delays, however, particularly in acquiring construction permits. These delays are reportedly the reason why the Ministry of Regional Development sidelined the project.

The Polish Chamber of Commerce (KIG) has appealed to the Mayor of Warsaw, Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz, and the Ministry of Regional Development to take action on the matter. "If we don't want this scientific research to be done outside Poland and our best specialists from innovative sectors of the economy to leave the country, then undertakings like the Warsaw Technology Park are essential," said Andrzej Arendarski, president of KIG, in a statement issued to the press.

According to its website, TechnoPort is to be located on a 45-ha plot near the Vistula River, about six kilometers south of the city center, though, according to Życie Warszawy's sources, a change of location has also been discussed. The first phase of the project was originally scheduled for completion by 2010. It called for the construction of a micro- and nano-technology center as well as a technology incubator, to be housed in five buildings totaling 27,500 sqm.