PODLASKIE VOIVODESHIP MARSHAL’S OFFICE Cezary Cieślukowski Member of The Podlaskie Voivodeship Executive Board Self-government of Podlaskie Voivodeship

PODLASKIE VOIVODESHIP Basic data and figures: Podlaskie Voivodeship is located in the north- eastern Poland. It borders with 3 other provinces: Warminsko-Mazurskie, Mazowieckie and along a short section with Lubelskie voivodeships. The capital of the Voivodeship – Białystok Other larger cities: Suwalki, Lomza, Bielsk Podlaski Population: 1,224,000 Number of communities: 118 Area: 20,180 km²  More than 50 % of the whole voivodeship area is unchanged by men activity  Almost 32 %of Podlaskie Voivodeship area is protected in many different forms and that puts our region in a strict internal fore-front  Podlaskie Voivodeship has: Clean Air, Clear Water, almost no industry-born pollution. Excellent quality of food  Agricultural profile of the region (60% of the area – agricultural land, 40% of polulation lives in countryside, 9,6%of gross value added is generated by agriculture and food processing industries)  Well known food processing companies with dominating position in Polish and surrounding international markets (OSM PIATNICA, MLEKPOL, MLEKOVITA, POLSER, BREWERY DOJLIDY, KABO, MISPOL,SUEMPOL - numerous producers of processed milk, cheese, meet, beer, fish and other food)  Fast growing producers of agricultural machinery: PRONAR, SAMASZ, PROMOTECH with export potential  Strong scientific centers:univeristies and technical univeristies as a background for inventing new methods of agriculture and food processing.

TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION SUPPORT INSTITUTIONS Science and Technology Parks in Suwalki and Bialystok Institute of Innovation and Technology of Technical University,Eastern Centre for Transfer of Technology- Bialystok Suwalki Special Economic Zone Center of Experimental Medicine,Research Center of Renewable Sources of Energy - Bialystok 17 universities providing education to of students and a high potential of academic staff. New spontaneously and fast growing areas of business in Podlaskie Voivodeship: pharmaceutical production/production of boats/production of medical implants/ production of electronic and milling vices All fast growing areas of regional economy are important but our „NUMBER ONE” is…. AGRICULTURE,FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRY AND SCIENTIST COOPERATION AIMED AT: -food which is retailed on mass scale but tastes as good as traditional, home made products -products which can not only „feed hunger” and be tasty but also cure and adress common problems in human health (special products for people with obesity, diabetes, increased cholesterol and blood pressure, immune system malfunctions) -new ecologic ways of food processing and production with reduced demand for energy and heat -new „cutting edge” technologies, for instance: meet grown with adoption of genetic science (grown in the way we grow plants)- with no need of killing animals and with no carbon dioxide emission as in case of large animal farms. THE RESULT: SMART AGRICULTURE AS THE WAY OF CONNECTING TRADITION WITH CHALLNGES OF MODERN ECONOMY Thank you for your attention Cezary Cieślukowski, Board of Podlaskie Voivodeship