Beyond EDP Project Partner Lodzkie Region is situated in the centre of Poland, in the borderland of Central-European Lowlands and Polish Uplands.
Lodzkie Region ranks as 9th in the country in terms of size (18 219 km2) and 6th
in terms of population (2.6 mln). More than 64% of the population lives in cities. The largest and most dominant city in the region is Łódź. Around 50% of industrial companies, more than 30% of subjects of high and medium-high technology, and more than 50% of business entities are located in the city.
Compared to other regions, Lodzkie Region is relatively well developed economically;
it is also characterized by a high rate of labour force participation. In 2010 the region provided 6% of the gross domestic product. In terms of GDP per capita, region keeps 6th position in the ranking of regions and the third in terms of GDP growth per capita. The results achieved place the Lodzkie Region in the so called “catching-up regions group”, ie. the region's GDP is growing faster than the average, but still the value is lower than the national average. The region is characterized by high dynamics of industrial production compared to other regions. In comparison to the whole country, the structure
of employment in the region is distinguished by a relatively low share of the services sector (55%), while the agricultural and industrial sector accounts for 13% and similarly 31.9% of the employed.
Lodzkie Region is highly rated in terms of investment attractiveness (4th place
in 2010 in the attractiveness for high-tech activity category). In 2011 in the region functioned almost 3 thousand companies with foreign capital. Since that time the upward trend has been continuing. The number of companies financed by foreign capital in 2015 was 3288. Preferential conditions for doing business in the region are provided by Lodz Special Economic Zone. Beneficiaries appreciate excellent location, tax exemptions, rich industrial tradition, and comprehensive help in implementation of investment process.
Another regional advantage is the location at the intersection of two of the four pan-European transport corridors operating on Polish territory and one of the largest motorway nodes in the country. It has a direct impact on the scale of investments - investment expenditures has, for now, reached over 12 billion PLN, while the number of job openings (reaching 23 200 work places) has highly increased.
There are many different sectors represented in Lodzkie Region, i.e.: energy, textile, industry-ceramic construction, furniture manufacturing, agro-industry, creative industries, medical and pharmaceutical, electromechanical as well as telecommunication, home appliances, agriculture, tourism and warehousing. It has significant potential for development of innovative services: BPO, logistics, balneology, IT, healthcare and electronics. The region is also active in the field of bio-economy and life sciences.
In April 2013 ‘The Regional Innovation Strategy for the Lodzkie Region’ (LORIS) 2030 was constituted. This document was a breakthrough in the process of supporting the development of innovativeness in region. It allowed identification of regional smart specializations and the identification of sub-themes that are part of the regional innovation system.
