On 5th June 2018, PFR opened an enrolment for the Pioneer School - an innovative educational programme of the Polish Development Fund (Polskiego Funduszu Rozwoju, PFR) for young future entrepreneurs in the new technologies sector. Outstanding coaches will help 50 participants to improve their theoretical and practical skills in business during a three-week-long workshop cycle and a week-long stay at Cambridge University in Great Britain. The programme was developed and is being executed with contribution from PFR Pioneer School partners, Allegro, TDJ and the PFR Foundation.
Research on young innovative companies in Poland shows that Polish Entrepreneurs have advanced analytical, mathematical, and technical skills, but lack competences within the scope of developing a business strategy, marketing or expansion into international markets. The PFR Pioneer School is addressed at people aged 20-35 years from all over Poland, who are working on their professional career and are interested in new technologies, as well as who wish to improve their technical skills and business competences with help from experts in the respective fields. The assumed goal of the programme is to strengthen key competences in young people who need them to develop their innovative business with potential for international success. Cooperation with the University of Cambridge is to ensure the transfer of knowledge to Poland for the benefit of dynamic and industrious people from both big cities and small towns. It is the first edition of a long-term programme, whose aim is to strengthen the Polish innovation ecosystem and the development of entrepreneurship, some of the key goals of the so-called Morawiecki Plan.
The Warsaw-based workshops are designed based on the most advanced educational methods and training models by the programme’s expert partners. They include large tech companies, successful start-ups and experts from innovative sectors.
The content of the programme is supervised by the Programme Board comprised of, among others: Eliza Kruczkowska - Director of Innovation and Development at the Polish Development Fund, Damian Zapłata - Chief Commercial Officer at Allegro, and Oliwia Kwiatkowska - Managing Partner at the TDJ Foundation. Other Board members include world-renowned representatives of Polish scientific circles, modern trends and start-ups.
In order to apply for the PFR Pioneer School, fill in the application form available at www.startup.pfr.pl and enclose your CV and a personal development plan. A recruitment committee will meet with shortlisted applicants, 50 of which will be enrolled in the programme. The PFR Pioneer School will commence in September 2018. Participation is free of charge; the students cover the cost of accommodation in Warsaw only for the duration of the workshops. We accept applications until 26th June.
