INNOVATION, SECURITY AND COOPERATION – DUAL USE AND PPP IN LOCAL GOVERNMENTS

On 4 March 2026, a meeting devoted to the use of the dual use concept and public-private partnership (PPP) in the work of local governments took place at the Space Technology Park (Park Technologii Kosmicznych) in Nowy Kisielin. The event was organised by the Association of Municipalities of the Lubuskie Voivodeship (Zrzeszenie Gmin Województwa Lubuskiego) in cooperation with Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego and the Marshal's Office of the Lubuskie Voivodeship.

More than 100 representatives of local governments, public institutions, the academic community and business took part in the meeting. At the same time, a Security Fair was held, during which a dozen or so companies presented modern technologies and solutions that can support the activities of local government units.

The event was opened by Dr Agnieszka Opalińska – Director of the ZGWL Office, and the participants were welcomed by:

• Marek Cebula - Voivode of Lubuskie

• Sebastian Saniuk– Director of the Department of Economy and Development of the Marshal's Office of the Lubuskie Voivodeship (UMWL)

• Tomasz Pisarek – President of the Management Board of the Kostrzyn-Słubice Special Economic Zone S.A.

• Marcin Pabierowski - Mayor of Zielona Góra -

• Bartłomiej Kucharyk – President of ZGWL, Head of the Przytoczna Municipality.

The potential of the Space Technology Park was presented by Dr hab. Katarzyna Cheba – President of the Management Board of PTK. Piotr Placha of PAIH, in turn, explained the practical application of the dual use concept, that is, technologies and infrastructure used both in the civilian sector and in the area of security.

The debates covered, among other things:

• the use of modern technologies to improve public safety
• cooperation between administration, business and science in creating innovative solutions
• the possibilities of implementing the dual use concept in municipalities and cities

The second part of the meeting was devoted to public-private partnership (PPP). The discussions concerned, among other things:

• the potential of PPP in carrying out local government investments
• financing models for infrastructure projects
• experiences and challenges in cooperation between local government units and the private sector.