Przemysław Roth: Over the past two decades, Krakow has earned its place as a European leader in global business and technology services. Its success has been built on a strong talent base, academic excellence, and a culture of collaboration. Today, the city is entering a new phase, moving beyond cost competitiveness to becoming a strategic innovation partner.

Despite a volatile global economy and rising operational costs, Krakow continues to attract foreign direct investment. What draws companies now is not low cost, but high value: skilled talent, domain expertise, and a mature business ecosystem. Investors are seeking more than delivery, they are looking for co-creation, and Krakow is ready to meet that need.

What sets Krakow apart is not just the number of engineers, but the relevance of their skills. The focus is shifting from purely technical capabilities to cross-functional, industry-aware talent. Increasingly, businesses need tech professionals who understand their sector, be it finance, automotive, retail, or aviation. Krakow’s industry clusters foster exactly that: tech talent with deep domain knowledge that helps solve real business problems. This layer of contextual expertise continues to attract new international players.

Such development would not be possible without collaboration. Cross-sector cooperation between academia, industry, and government has always been one of Krakow’s defining strengths. From shaping academic programmes to supporting upskilling and R&D, the local ecosystem aligns around shared goals. As we enter the age of AI and advanced technologies, this collaboration will be even more critical. ASPIRE remains committed to enabling dialogue, shared learning, and joint action.

Krakow is no longer just a centre for service delivery. It is a place where strategic competence grows, where innovation is grounded in understanding, not just technology. The talent is here, the ecosystem is ready, and the ambition is strong. The next chapter is not about doing more of the same—it’s about building what’s next, together.

ASPIRE – Association of IT and Business Services Companies

ASPIRE is the representative body of the IT and Business Services sector in Krakow and widely acknowledged a key driver in Krakow’s rise to prominence as Europe’s top-ranked location for global services. Established in 2008, ASPIRE brings together under one umbrella more than 150 global companies and local suppliers for the purposes of networking, information-sharing and working towards a common strategy.

aspire.org.pl