The Lublin IT Upland project was originated in 2010 by Mariusz Sagan, the head of the Department of Strategy and Investor Relations.
One year later, the IT sector was chosen as one of the growth pillars in Lublin, which was to become “a workhorse” of the local economy.
In 2002, a campaign encouraging young people to stay in Lublin was launched. Additionally, the IT potential of Lublin was emphasised. Since that time, several new companies have been established in Lublin, owing to direct and indirect activities undertaken by the city authorities.
What changes with time are challenges faced by the project team. Firstly, the team had to present Lublin as an attractive place for the IT sector, as a result of which a number of businesses appeared on the map of the region.
The subsequent stage involved creating an ecosystem, which would maximally shorten the distance between the parties operating on the market. The aim was to focus on “working from scratch” and attracting school learners’ interest in this sector (middle schools already take part in the project, primary schools will participate in it soon), as well as developing a market full of job offers for graduates from higher education institutions based in Lublin.
These plans are highly ambitious because Lublin should be ultimately perceived as a complement to the missing link between Warsaw and Cracow. Owing to the starting campaign, experts from South-Eastern Poland are expected to come to Lublin. Mariusz Sagan realises that catching up with other cities isn’t and won’t be easy, but he also concludes that no city can be proud of such dynamic development as Lublin.
Konrad Kozłowski, Antyweb
