Project In Poland Research Articles

Play and participation in preschool children’s project activities

This article presents playful activities undertaken with children during the three years of the BRIDGING project. The authors try to show the pupils’ participation expressed through play in its different types. During the implementation of the project activities, it was important to have the attentive presence of adults who showed direction and tried to always remind children as well as other partners (from partner institutions) about the purpose of the playful activities. However, the educators did not show ready-made solutions and allowed the children to express their own opinions, to be creative and to work on their own, and to have fun. The cooperation of adult participants in the project – teachers, tutors and university lecturers – enriched the project with a diverse perspective on children’s activities, play and the issue of participation. The implementation of the BRIDGING project in Poland became an opportunity to develop the idea of equal involvement of adults and children. This idea has been disseminated in the local community, firstly among parents, and also among other people involved in the project through activities (including play activities) undertaken during the project.

New attempt of the implementation of CCS technology in Poland

After 2013 when the PGE Bełchatów demo CCS project was canceled and the EU CCS directive implemented into Polish law (in a way generally obstructing the development of CCS projects in Poland), no significant effects in that field have occurred till 2021. In 2021 the draft of a new law on change of Polish geological and mining law and some other laws (Polish CCS law) was prepared and is being proceeded – it is expected to be accepted soon by the Council of Ministers and then submitted to the Parliament. Generally, the law is to facilitate the development of CCUS technologies in Poland (commercial projects, both onshore and offshore storage in saline aquifers and depleted/depleting hydrocarbon fields – including EHR, no exploration permits/concessions, just storage permits as required by the directive, transport modes). Concurrently, in August/September 2021 Polish Minister of Climate and Environment appointed an advisory board – the Team on Development of CCUS technologies, where representatives of government, industry and research organizations were invited to facilitate CCUS technologies implementation in Poland. One of the Team's tasks resulted in the development of several prefeasibility studies on the full CCS value chain of newly constructed power and CHP blocks (mainly gas fired) carried out by a consortium led by AGH. Similar studies are being developed or considered in the case of other industry sectors, especially cement and chemical plants. In the storage part of these studies, the national project “Assessment of formations and structures for CO2 geological storage including monitoring plans” (completed in 2012/2013 by a consortium led by PGI-NRI) and its update completed upon request of the Ministry in 2021 have been utilized. In the case of the complete CCS value chain, results of pre-feasibility studies carried out in 2009-2013, together with assumptions and results of the new AGH-important project CCUS.pl initiated in May 2021, have been utilized. Several other international projects (financed by Norway Funds) oriented on CCS/CCS have been started (e.g., Agastor, SltPreCO2 project) in Poland. These developments might contribute to creating Polish CCS cluster (or clusters) where various emission sources and transport and storage infrastructure will be integrated, possibly within a decade.

When Pan-European Insolvency Twilight Lasts for Years: Are Controlling Lenders Liable?

Companies structured for project finance can be prematurely failed by European insolvency laws, where there is a strict obligation to file for insolvency if the required solvency tests have been failed. Using two technically insolvent windfarm projects in Poland and Romania, this article analyzes why each debtor continued to trade in breach of the law and why the lenders permitted such continued trading. Although facing liability, the directors of the debtors could see that through continued trading the debtors would eventually pay off the secured debt, and the project and the profits could be returned to the shareholders. The debtor had this confidence because of the project finance nature of infrastructure where there is good long-term visibility of cashflows. This article critically analyzes the national insolvency laws for infrastructure projects in Poland and Romania and considers whether the lenders in each case, by allowing the debtors to trade, should share some of the potential liability.

Central ICT system SL2014: the way to reduce the transaction costs of European projects

Motivation: European funds are these kinds of goods for which effective demand exceeds supply. The market value of European projects in Poland is estimated at approximately PLN 1125,44 bn, of which the EU co-financing is PLN 664,29 bn. Their effective use depends on the quality of the institutions responsible for their aggregation, allocation and proper expenditure (in accordance with the EU policies).
 Aim: The analysis of mechanisms determining the market game on the European project market in Poland in the light of the new institutional economics. Particular attention will be paid to the administrative tools that facilitate efficient long-distance communication between the parties to a project co-financing contract (central ICT system SL2014).
 Results: ICT systems constitute a part of a wider phenomenon commonly referred to as e-administration. It may be regarded as an institution in the meaning of the new institutional economics. This institution reduces the transaction costs related to handling European projects as well as the transaction costs in other areas connected with public governance. Wherever the e-administration can be applied (e-administration may be found useful in the case of public health emergencies that were triggered by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic). Central ICT system SL2014 (as an element of e-administration) significantly reduced transaction costs in the field of handling European projects in the 2014–2020 financial perspective.

Sources of Finance for Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in Poland

Abstract This paper aims to present and discuss the already existing studies and try to uncover possible potential for further research on the topic of financial resources in public–private partnership (PPP) projects. The article presents the main relevant papers regarding financial resources and examines how deep the topic of financial sources has been explored in both academic and practical literature. Moreover, the article reviews Poland’s PPP market and, particularly, types of used financial sources. The ‘Literature review’ results show that there is a gap in studying the private sector and financial resources, especially in Polish PPPs. We attempt to close this gap by summarising the main factors that influence the choice of the source of financing PPPs. The Polish case shows that the main source of financing of PPP projects in Poland is bank loans and many projects have partial funding from various European Union (EU) programmes. Policymakers should pay attention to other financial resources in PPPs. Moreover, it would be fruitful to extend the Polish database of PPP projects with new factors that can simplify ex-post and ex-ante analysis.

Risk Identification in Cogeneration (Combined Heat and Power) Projects: A Polish Case Study

The purpose of the article is to define the risk factors in cogeneration projects and to demonstrate that a lack of sufficient identification of risks in different phases affects project implementation. A theoretical study is conducted, which aims to identify risk factors in cogeneration projects, based on case studies of such projects in Poland. The study offers a view at CHP (combined heat and power) projects as extremely dependent on the external environment of the organisation. These projects are subject to many external regulations due to their environmental impact and dynamically changing technical aspects. The biggest technical errors occur at the planning and construction stages. The biggest economic and financial risks occur at the execution stage after 2% and 3% of additional design costs occur, respectively. The authors estimated the risks at different stages of the project and concluded that the total cost of failure in correct identification of the risks at the planning stage exceeded PLN 1.5 billion, which amounted to almost 60% of the total additional costs of materialised project risk. Consequently, the biggest challenges in the area of CHP project management at the planning stage are a thorough identification of risks, and the pricing and planning reactions to risk.

The ESCO Formula as Support for Public and Commercial Energy Projects in Poland

The formula of engaging an energy service company (ESCO) in Poland is not a new form of accounting for investments in improving energy efficiency. The results of our survey confirm that many entities still lack sufficient knowledge about this subject. The research problem this paper is concerned with is the conditions of applying the ESCO formula (a model of investment financing with the participation of a specialised company) to support local government units and enterprises in energy-industry project development. For the purpose of this study, the research questions were formulated to analyse of the following issues: the reasons for interest in the ESCO formula and the sources of knowledge about this solution; activities and other factors that can increase or reduce interest in the ESCO formula; services in terms of ESCO formula implementation; the attractiveness of alternative instruments for financing energy industry projects, the benefits of using the ESCO formula and the influence of current and future target groups on ESCO formula development in Poland. This paper, therefore aims to recognise the conditions under which the ESCO formula can be applied by local government units and enterprises implementing energy industry projects in Poland. The research problem was solved using a triangulation of research methods: empirical qualitative research (desk research analysis, individual in-depth interviews, computer-assisted web interview (CAWI) survey, and focus group interviews) and one of the foresight methods (an expert panel). The research revealed that the lack of knowledge amongst local government units and enterprises with regard to the ESCO formula, although not unique to Poland, is insufficient to explain the low level of interest in this solution. One of the key conclusions is the need to educate local government units and enterprises on energy efficiency. This is vital to arouse their interest in the more complex ESCO implementation solutions that they have not yet investigated. Furthermore, by following and analysing the project implementation process in the ESCO formula, we can conclude that the risk generated is primarily on the part of the energy service company itself. For this reason, it is doubtful that energy service companies will invest the equity necessary to develop this challenging market. Based on the research conclusions, we indicate some recommendations that the government and related public institutions should consider in order to boost this market and support ESCO companies.

Bezpieczeństwo energetyczne Polski a współpraca polsko-amerykańska w zakresie cywilnego programu jądrowego

The aim of the paper is to analyze and assess the legitimacy of the implementation of a civil nuclear program in Poland and the selection of the United States as the main external partner. The considerations are carried out in the context of ensuring Poland’s energy security. The introduction contains the main methodological assumptions and synthetically outlines the history of nuclear projects in Poland. The first part of the paper analyzes the impact of the nuclear program on Poland’s energy security. The second part is devoted to Polish-American cooperation in the implementation of the nuclear

Uncertain Multi-Criteria analysis of offshore wind farms projects investments – Case study of the Polish Economic Zone of the Baltic Sea

Investments in offshore wind farms can be an effective development stimulus for an economy recovering from the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, an important issue is a multi-criteria analysis of planned investments in offshore wind farms. Such an analysis allows to identify the most important projects from the perspective of sustainable development. Taking into account the uncertainties and risks related to wind energy, and additionally taking into account the uncertainty of ex-ante evaluation, such studies need to analyse the uncertainty as widely as possible. The article presents a comprehensive methodological approach that allows for the maximum capture of uncertainties and risks related to energy investment projects in the area of wind farms. This approach involves using the fuzzy multi-criteria decision analysis (FMCDA) method, sensitivity analysis and robustness analysis based on the Monte-Carlo simulations. Additionally, the uncertainty related to the applied methodology was taken into account and the same problem was solved by using different FMCDA methods. Based on the applied approach, a case study was conducted and a ranking of offshore wind farms projects in Poland was created. It was found that the most promising project is Bałtyk II, followed by Bałtyk I, both projects being carried out by the Polenergia/Equinor consortium. However, if the preference model is not known, the Bałtyk I project has the greatest chance of taking the leasing place in the ranking (31.7%), ahead of the following projects: Baltic Power (20.4%) owned by PKN Orlen and Bałtyk III (18.6%) which is also owned by Polenergia/Equinor.

The Economics of Coking Coal Mining: A Fossil Fuel Still Needed for Steel Production

Coking coal has been on the European list of critical raw materials since 2014 due to its high economic importance and high supply risk. In 2017, coking coal narrowly missed passing the threshold of economic importance. However, out of caution, it remained on the list of critical raw materials, as the steel industry still needs it. It is likely to be phased out of the list below when it does not fully meet the required criteria. As there are no significant alternatives for this energy intensive industry and neither electrification nor material or energy efficiency improvements are yet available at a sufficient level of technological readiness, the European Union remains dependent on coking coal imports. Therefore, any coking coal mining project in Europe is of great importance and an important alternative to solving the problems of providing this raw material. In this study, the Dębieńsko coking coal project in Poland is analyzed using a scientifically proven methodology based on world-class analysis of coking coal projects submitted for financing to financial institutions.

Employer’s Information Requirements: A Case Study Implementation of BIM on the Example of Selected Construction Projects in Poland

Case studies available in the literature clearly point to the numerous benefits of BIM (Building Information Modeling), in addition to the barriers that participants of such projects may face. This paper is a case study of Employer’s Information Requirements (EIR) for preparing and managing BIM models in the design and construction of selected large public construction projects: the Cogiteon Lesser Poland Science Center (LPSC Cogiteon), the Krakow Music Center (KMC) and the Copernican Revolution Studio (CRS). The paper presents the main aspects included in EIRs. It discusses the technical (e.g., requirements for the Common Data Environment platform—CDE), management (including the scopes of responsibility of staff in charge of BIM) and strategic sections (primary expectations concerning Data Drops) of the EIR. Projects executed using BIM by public institutions allow for the application of insight gained as a result of their completion and the creation of a knowledge base or checklist for future projects. The projects discussed here, carried out using advanced BIM solutions, could potentially be developed further by the proposed content extension concerning levels of detail (this paper cites potential guidelines that can be applied), component elements concerning price and qualifications, so as to easily generate bills of costs, and information used in facility management which can also encourage facility manager cooperation. Examples of EIR provisions are presented based on an analysis of three completed construction projects carried out using advanced BIM solutions. BIM is still a new form of management and this paper expands the range of available EIR standards, in addition to presenting guidelines for their practical application in the construction industry.

Analysis of Water Retention Possibilities Based on Programs, Strategies and Selected Projects in Poland

A particularly important and topical issue in contemporary urban planning and urban design is to prevent the current climate threat. The scale of the problem and the forecast of the effects of climate change are shown in the publication of numerous research centers such as NASA and the IPCC. The Report of a temperature increase of 1.5 degrees relative to the preindustrial era has shaken public opinion, however, a less optimistic scenario assumes an increase of 3 degrees. Local governments often face the challenge of rapid and effective response to the effects of climate change. Adaptation strategies to climate change have been developed at the EU level since 2009, in which the so-called White Paper has been passed, recognized as one of the first documents to define goals and measures, and on the national (Polish) level from around 2010. On the basis of strategic documents and research of scientific institutions, many local government units adopt programs aimed at implementing specific solutions. In the light of climate reports, it turns out that one of the most sensitive areas to climate change is water management. Therefore, effective adaptation measures include those aimed at rational management of rainwater. As a result, there are created comprehensive adaptation programs focusing on various sectors of the economy. Some of them are based on elements such as: green infrastructure, support for biodiversity or the implementation of activities in the field of blue-green infrastructure and the idea of "sponge city". They have been analyzed by the authors in terms of their usefulness and compliance with higher level documents. The aim of the study was to look at what actions are undertaken by cities in order to implement adaptation postulates. Selected activities undertaken by local government units of the cities of Olsztyn, Bydgoszcz and Gdańsk were analyzed. For educational purposes there are prepared information brochures for investors, residents and officials. They present the available tools and methods for sustainable rainwater management and increasing the city's resilience to the effects of climate change by increasing retention based on natural-based solutions. Equally important are the projects themselves, which is why another objective of the research was to analyze the implementation for compliance with the stated goal of increasing the retained water and adaptation to climate change of the city. The research methodology is based on desk-research and indirect inventory. A representative example of the research carried out is the implementation of the programs: "Rainwater management systems in the city of Olsztyn" and „Expansion of the rainwater management system in the city of Olsztyn”. The authors conclude that the adopted programs and strategies, as well as the implemented investments, are examples of both beneficial measures to improve water retention in the city, but unfortunately, they are also examples of "tools" to raise funds for investments, there are many in which rainwater is treated as sewage and still go directly to the sewage system.

Reclamation and development of post-industrial sites for recreation as exemplified by projects carried out in Poland in the 1920s and 1950s

The aim of this article is to present spectacular examples of reclamation and development of post-industrial sites, carried out in Poland in the 1920s and 1950s, with emphasis on their recreational function. Examples include a park built between 1889 and 1920 by Wojciech Bednarski in the valley of the former quarry in Podgórze, now the right-bank district of Krakow, and “General Jerzy Ziętek Provincial Park of Culture and Recreation”, now called “the Silesia Park”, created in the 1950s on degraded post-industrial land located within the borders of three cities: Chorzów, Katowice and Siemianowice Śląskie. Both parks are examples of reclaiming brownfield sites for recreational use in order to create attractive leisure spaces. They have become a model and point of reference for other park planning projects in Poland. Their spatial and functional design is exceptionally timeless. The study is mainly based on a review of the literature of the subject.

Hydraulic Fracturing in Enhanced Geothermal Systems—Field, Tectonic and Rock Mechanics Conditions—A Review

Hydraulic fracturing (HF) is a well-known stimulation method used to increase production from conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon reservoirs. In recent years, HF has been widely used in Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS). HF in EGS is used to create a geothermal collector in impermeable or poor-permeable hot rocks (HDR) at a depth formation. Artificially created fracture network in the collector allows for force the flow of technological fluid in a loop between at least two wells (injector and producer). Fluid heats up in the collector, then is pumped to the surface. Thermal energy is used to drive turbines generating electricity. This paper is a compilation of selected data from 10 major world’s EGS projects and provides an overview of the basic elements needed to design HF. Authors were focused on two types of data: geological, i.e., stratigraphy, lithology, target zone deposition depth and temperature; geophysical, i.e., the tectonic regime at the site, magnitudes of the principal stresses, elastic parameters of rocks and the seismic velocities. For each of the EGS areas, the scope of work related to HF processes was briefly presented. The most important HF parameters are cited, i.e., fracturing pressure, pumping rate and used fracking fluids and proppants. In a few cases, the dimensions of the modeled or created hydraulic fractures are also provided. Additionally, the current state of the conceptual work of EGS projects in Poland is also briefly presented.

The impact of PHC location (urban vs. rural) on uptake of prophylactic health services in Primary Health Care PLUS project in Poland

The International Journal of Integrated Care (IJIC) is an online, open-access, peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes original articles in the field of integrated care on a continuous basis.IJIC has an Impact Factor of 5.120 (2020 JCR, received in June 2021)

Quantifying Critical Success Factors (CSFs) in Management of Investment-Construction Projects: Insights from Bayesian Model Averaging

The problem with evaluating investment projects is that there are many factors that determine the degree of their successful conclusion. Consequently, there has been an active debate for years as to which critical success factors (CSFs) contribute most to the performance of construction projects. This is because the practice of empirical research is based on two steps: first, researchers choose a particular model from the space of all possible models, and second, they act as if the chosen model is the only one that fits the data and describes the phenomenon under study. Hence, there are many CSF lists that can be found in the literature, owing to the uncertainty at the model selection stage, which is usually ignored. Alternatively, model averaging accounts for this model uncertainty. In this study, the Bayesian model averaging and data from a survey of Polish construction managers were used to investigate the potential of 28 factors describing a diverse set of characteristics in explaining the performance of construction projects in Poland. Determinants of successful completion of investment projects are categorized by their level of evidential strength, which is derived from posterior inclusion probabilities (PIPs), i.e., providing strong, medium and weak evidence.

Needs, Requirements and a Concept of a Tool Condition Monitoring System for the Aerospace Industry.

In this paper, we describe the needs and specific requirements of the aerospace industry in the field of metal machining; specifically, the concept of an edge-computing-based production supervision system for the aerospace industry using a tool and cutting process condition monitoring system. The new concept was developed based on experience gained during the implementation of research projects in Poland’s Aviation Valley at aerospace plants such as Pratt & Whitney and Lockheed Martin. Commercial tool condition monitoring (TCM) and production monitoring systems do not effectively meet the requirements and specificity of the aerospace industry. The main objective of the system is real-time diagnostics and sharing of data, knowledge, and system configurations among technologists, line bosses, machine tool operators, and quality control. The concept presented in this paper is a special tool condition monitoring system comprising a three-stage (natural wear, accelerated wear, and catastrophic tool failure) set of diagnostic algorithms designed for short-run machining and aimed at protecting the workpiece from damage by a damaged or worn tool.

TTZ-SOUTH seismic experiment

The wide-angle reflection and refraction (WARR) TTZ-South transect carried out in 2018 crosses the SW region of Ukraine and the SE region of Poland. The TTZ-South profile targeted the structure of the Earth’s crust and upper mantle of the Trans-European Suture Zone, as well as the southwestern segment of the East European Craton (slope of the Ukrainian Shield). The ~550 km long profile (~230 km in Poland and ~320 km in western Ukraine) is an extension of previously realized projects in Poland, TTZ (1993) and CEL03 (2000). The deep seismic sounding study along the TTZ-South profile using TEXAN and DATA-CUBE seismic stations (320 units) made it possible to obtain high-quality seismic records from eleven shot points (six in Ukraine and five in Poland). This paper presents a smooth P wave velocity model based on first-arrival travel-time inversion using the FAST (First Arrival Seismic Tomography) code. The obtained image represents a preliminary velocity model which, according to the P wave velocities, consists of a sedimentary layer and the crystalline crust that could comprise upper, middle and lower crustal layers. The Moho interface, approximated by the 7.5 km/s isoline, is located at 45—47 km depth in the central part of the profile, shallowing to 40 and 37 km depth in the northern (Radom-Łysogуry Unit, Poland) and southern (Volyno-Podolian Monocline, Ukraine) segments of the profile, respectively. A peculiar feature of the velocity cross-section is a number of high-velocity bodies distinguished in the depth range of 10—35 km. Such high-velocity bodies were detected previously in the crust of the Radom-Łysogуry Unit. These bodies, inferred at depths of 10—35 km, could be allochthonous fragments of what was originally a single mafic body or separate mafic bodies intruded into the crust during the break-up of Rodinia in the Neoproterozoic, which was accompanied by considerable rifting. The manifestations of such magmatism are known in the NE part of the Volyno-Podolian Monocline, where the Vendian trap formation occurs at the surface.

Treatment of Flue Gas in a CO2 Capture Pilot Plant for a Commercial CFB Boiler

The problem of reducing carbon dioxide emissions from flue gas, particularly from flue gas originating from coal-firing CFB systems, is currently an important challenge. Many centers around the world have tested post-combustion CO2 capture systems. One of these systems, operated using DR-VPSA adsorption technology (dual-reflux vacuum pressure swing adsorption), was tested under the Strategic Project in Poland. The flue gas in this study originated from a supercritical CFB boiler (460 MWe). An important problem involved in capturing CO2 from flue gas is the occurrence of SO2 and NOx. These substances have a negative effect on the CO2 adsorption process. In this study, commercial impregnated activated carbon was used to remove SO2 and NOx from CFB flue gas in the pre-treatment section during the tests of a pilot CO2 capture unit in a large-scale CFB boiler at the Lagisza Power Plant (Poland). The spent activated carbon was analyzed using several different methods (N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms, SEM-EDX, XRD, FTIR, and TG) to evaluate the efficiency of the operation and life span of the adsorbent used in the SO2 and NOx removal unit. The results demonstrate that using commercial impregnated activated carbon in the pre-treatment section ensures sufficient flue gas purification and the removal of sulfur oxides but remains insufficient for nitrogen oxides.

Cost Optimization of the Medical Tourism Market Research Project in Poland and Turkey

Research and development projects constitute a specific group of activities carried out in the course of scientific research. The purpose of this article was the analysis of the planned research and development project related to the research on medical services market in Poland and Turkey in the aspect of cost optimization. The analyzed project was designed to examine consumer behavior in the market of a new and growing tourism sector, i.e. medical tourism. Medical tourism is currently defined as the traveling of people to a foreign country in order to undergo planned treatment there, caused by financial or qualitative reasons or due to the unavailability of services in the country of residence. The aim of the planned research project was to compare the behavior of two different groups of stakeholders on two different markets - Polish and Turkish. Efficient implementation of a research project requires precise planning of all activities that should be conducted. The performed analysis showed that regardless of the location of the planned project, its schedule consists of similar components, but the time and costs associated with the project will be different and will largely depend on the location of the research. In the article, in order to optimize the basic parameters of a research project carried out in various destinations, a traditional project management tool, i.e. the Gantt chart, was used, and complemented with the cost gradient concept. The use of both those tools made it possible to identify activities, the change of which has the greatest impact on the cost and time optimization of the project in Poland and Turkey. The analysis of the research project carried out in various destinations showed that, regardless of the location of the research project, shortening its time is associated with a similar increase in the cost of the project, despite the fact that it concerns different activities in both analyzed cases. As a rule, the implementation of a project, including a research project, should be preceded by planning, which enables its subsequent optimization using traditional project management tools.