The Enterprise Support Centre in Ostrów Wielkopolski (Ostrowskie Centrum Wspierania Przedsiębiorczości) came into being from the initiative of the citizens of our town and in accordance with Economic Development Strategy Project of Ostrów Wielkopolski. Registered in a District Court in Poznan on 17 th of July 2003 (National Court Register 0000167015), The Enterprise Support Centre in Ostrów Wielkopolski gives advice and instruction on services as well as gives loans and guarantees for small and average companies, especially the new ones. OCWP is mainly interested in the companies created by the unemployed.

STATUTORY AIMS OF OCWP ARE:

• actuation of social and economic activity of local community, especially sponsoring of small and average companies,
• supporting enterprise
• working out and initiation of tools for the economic development in order to reduce unemployment,
• provision of assistance in establishment and development of micro-, small and medium enterprises, especially micro- and small enterprises financial and training/advisory assistance
• initiation of economic and social contacts with national and foreign partners,
• occupational activation of the inhabitants

OCWP WORKS IN FIVE CENTERS:

• The Enterprise Support Centre
• Enterprise Incubator
• Civil Information Bureau
• Loan Fund
• Professional Counselling Centre

OUR ACTIVITIES INVOLVE THE FOLLOWING PROBLEMS:

•  administrative and legal aspects of economic activities
• how to begin an economic activity - registration, business-plan, strategy, gaining over the capital – an offer of internal financing available on the market
• help in preparing motions to obtain grant-in-aid – within the framework of EU program support as well as help in preparing documents for financial institution
• legal consultations
• Company Management- finance and taxes
• writing motions and projects for businessmen in order to achieve subsidy from European Union funds.

Our services are directed not only to people who start their own economic activity but also for those who already are businessmen.

INTERVENTION AREAS:

• supporting enterprise and local development: activities on help local community, mostly unemployment and people endangered social exclusion, to find ways to be occupied in order to maintain the population in the region, as well as increase general income and index of economic growth in the Region
• provision of assistance in establishment and development of micro-, small and medium enterprises, especially micro- and small enterprises; financial and training/ advisory assistance - providing of services system for SMEs, promotion of companies, searching for business partners, advertisement etc in the Enterprise Support Center
• supporting enterprise and social and economic activity of local community, especially trainings and consultations (law, company management, finances and taxes etc.) and help small and middle enterprises in preparing applications within the frameworks of the European Community programs in order to achieve subsidies from EU.
• occupational activation of the inhabitants and job creation activities: trainings, counseling (mainly occupational counselling), advisory for those who want to set up business (areas of trainings and advices: how to begin an economic activity - registration, business-plan, strategy, gaining over external financing)
• raisning awareness and knowledge of civil society (for ex. participation in “You have a vote, you have a choice” action)
• youth activities – courses for youth in enterprise and economics’s area, developing practical knowledge of economics among young people
• new technology’s popularization, investigation popularization, technical support, bank of ideas (there is prepared a project on creation a technology incubator, project concerning generating natural energy in the region).

PROJECTS DEVELOPED

The Association runs projects mainly within support EU funds and also governmental/ budgetary subsidies. Cooperates with local organizations and institutions. OCWP developed and develop projects following projects:

• project of implementation ISO 9001:2000 quality management standard
• supporting and promotion enterprise and job creation. Our goal is to facilitate tools for creation or find job in the Ostrovian council, and to maintain local population in the region (especially young people). The organization focus mainly on helping customers to be self-sufficient and for ex. Those who want to start and set up and run their own business activity
• offers micro- and small enterprises financial within the framework of “Ostrovian Loan Fund” (co-financed by PARP and Ostrovian Municipality)
• granting loans for SMEs and awarding grants for unemployed within the realized projects
• technology’s popularization (the organization cooperates for ex. with the Ministry of Agriculture of Sri Lanka on a project about agriculture).
• Raisning awareness and knowledge about civil society (for ex. participation in “You have a vote, you have a choice” action, OCWP cooperates with newspapers.

COOPERATION

Stowarzyszenie Ostrowskie Centrum Wspierania Przedsiębiorczości (The Enterprise Support Centre in Ostrów Wielkopolski) will interested initiate of co-operation with institutions and organizations from other countries.

We are looking for partners of the priority sector description: Human Resources development through, inter alia, promotion of education and training, strengthening of administrative or public service capacities of local government or its institutions as well as democratic processes.



CONTACT
Ostrowskie Centrum Wspierania Przedsiębiorczości
ul. Rejtana 54
63-400 Ostrów Wielkopolski
Poland
tel./fax: +48 62 736 11 60
e-mail: ocwp@ocwp.org.pl
www.ocwp.org.pl

We invite to cooperation !