Support of smart specializations in Polish regions under cohesion policy - example of the Lubelskie voivodeship

Subject and purpose of work: The aim of the work is to present the possibilities and assess the use of support for smart specializations under the EU cohesion policy 2014-2020 in the Lubelskie Voivodeship. Research tasks: classification of projects implemented under the ROP of the Lubelskie Voivodeship 2014-2020 (ROP LV) depending on their adaptation to the region's smart specializations; determining the size of support for the development of region's smart specializations. Materials and methods: The research material is a database of projects co-financed from EU funds for 2014-2020, projects implemented under axis 1 of ROP LV were analyzed. Results: The total value of funding for the region's smart specializations was PLN 194 million. The largest number of projects was implemented by enterprises within the specialization of IT and automation. About 20% of funds were acquired by entities from outside the smart specialization industries. Conclusions: ROP LV is an important tool to support research and development activities in the Lubelskie Voivodeship.