The University of Lodz organized in collaboration with the Centre of public procurement and public-private partnership (PPP) a seminar on HAePPI project. The seminar act of the HAePPI project was configured in four parts:
- In the first part, Phd Anna Górczyńska introduced HAEPPI to the project by presenting the assumptions of the project, its stages and the most important results. She also discussed the state of application and the main obstacles to the dissemination of innovative public procurement in Poland. She also referred to the potential and development opportunities for the SME sector in Poland in the context of the use of innovative procurement. She conducted a legal analysis of the application examples of procurement with an element of innovation.
- In the second part, Ms Berenika Sikora conducted workshops on the use of the e-learning platform combined with the presentation of the main modules and elements of the training materials developed under the HAePPI project. Ms Berenika analyzed and summarized each module to familiarize participants with the scope and issues included in the HAePPI course.
III. The third part was intended for a discussion between the participants. The discussion between the participants of the meeting concerned mainly the concept of innovation. Understanding this concept is sometimes debatable, especially in Poland, where the issue of innovation is relatively new. Innovation means change, but it should be noted that not every change will be an innovation or will deserve its name. Changes can be reactive (non-creative), i.e. they will be duplicate already existing solutions or transform these solutions and thus better adapt them to the requirements of the environment. According to the vast majority of participants, the theory is that economic development is stimulated by innovation in a dynamic process in which new technologies replace old ones. Radical and sudden innovations often lead to unfavourable and destructive changes, while innovations of an evolutionary nature, they constantly push the process of change forward. According to the discussion participants, the innovation is:
- introducing new products;
- introducing new production methods;
- opening new sales markets;
- acquiring new sources of natural resources;
- creating new market structures within a given type of activity.
Invention is a scientific or technical fact intended to create innovative opportunities. There is a constant stream of invention that represents potential technical progress. It is a condition necessary but not sufficient for a development process to emerge. Development occurs through innovation, that is, making the act of applying invention. The inventiveness made is an innovation, as long as a new, previously non-existent solution is not applied in practice in this field. The discussion also focused on examples of good practices supporting the award of public contracts, in particular, innovative procurement.
- In the fourth part, Prof. Maria Królikowska-Olczak gave a lecture on the principles of public procurement to support innovation in Polish public procurement law. The professor made a detailed analysis of the EU principles of public procurement law, taking into account the latest jurisprudence and their impact and significance for the development of innovation. Many of the issues discussed concerned the impact of the implementation of the rules on the SME sector, and in particular on the growth and innovation in public procurement procedures. The lecture also presented the arguments for promoting innovative public procurement. The lecture ended with a discussion between the participants and the lecturer.
