As part of the activities of the Penelope Project, we have conducted 19 interviews with cluster policy makers, cluster managers, companies in our effort to gather knowledge across Europe on how gender equality is addressed in these environments.

In Poland we had the great pleasure to talk to Karolina Lipińska, Innovation Architect and Deputy Director at the Department for Economic Development at the Office of the Marshal of the Pomorskie Voivodship. You can find in her interview insights into the challenges in regard to gender mainstreaming encountered in the region, but also possible solutions to advance gender equality in industry, via clusters: "I believe that clusters and smart specializations as areas with the greatest development potential to allow women to spread their wings because each new talent on the market is an added and precious value." The whole interview is available here: https://penelope-project.org/interview-karolina-lipinska-deputy-directo…;

 

Moreover, on 9 November, during the 9th Congress of Polish Clusters in Gdansk, Karolina will moderate the international panel of policy makers, cluster managers and experts discussing about gender equality, clusters and smart specializations for a new work culture in Europe:

 

The Pomeranian Voivodeship Local Government and the Polish Clusters Employers' Association, representing more than 40 clusters and cluster initiatives from Poland, are organising the 9th Congress of Polish Clusters, which will be held on November 8-9, 2023 in Gdansk, Poland, Pomorskie region. The main theme of the event will be “The power of cooperation, i.e., clusters in the development policy of the country and regions”.

The two-days event, which is estimated to bring together some 200 attendants, will have an international character, where the topics in the field of cluster policy, green transformation and digital transformation will be discussed. There will also be two panels with the participation of foreign guests (panel no. 5 - on European cluster cooperation and panel no. 6 - on new business models considering inclusiveness and gender equality).

During the entire event, the organizers will provide simultaneous PL-ENG, ENG-PL translation.

On the second day of the Congress from 12:10 to 1:30 p.m. the panel no. 6 titled “Clusters as creators of new business models that take into account inclusiveness and gender equality” will take place. It is organized as part of the @Debuting project "Gender equality, clusters and smart specializations for a new work culture in Europe" of the @Interreg Europe programme. The panel will begin with a short presentation by @Anders Olsson, manager for smart specialization at @Region Värmland / @Regional utveckling – Region Värmland (Sweden) and coordinator of the @DEBUTING project. The panel discussion will be moderated by @Dr. Karolina Lipińska, Deputy Director of the Department of Economic Development of the Pomeranian Voivodeship Marshal's Office.

The panel will include DEBUTING project partners from the Pomorskie region, @Kristina Sermuksnyte-Alesiuniene – European Cluster Manager of the Year 2022 and Vice-president of the @European Clusters Alliance and @Dr. Natasza Kosakowska-Berezecka, professor at the University of Gdansk – D&I and Gender Equality expert, motivational speaker, trainer, HR consultant and mediator.

 

PLACE: Hotel Scandic Gdansk, address: Podwale Grodzkie 9, 80-895 Gdansk, Poland

DATE: November 8-9, 2023.

FORMULA: two-day congress (event held stationary in Gdansk)

The current program and registration is available on the event website:

https://app.evenea.pl/event/885465-3/

https://9kongres.klastrypolskie.pl/