Pomerania’s Historic Debut at Smart City Summit & Expo in Taiwan

Poland has reached a milestone. For the first time in history, the country presented its own official pavilion at the Smart City Summit & Expo (SCSE) in Taipei. The event ranks among Asia’s most significant gatherings dedicated to urban innovation and digital transformation. 8Foundry Alliance organised the mission and brought together cities, institutions, and businesses from Pomerania around a shared vision for Poland’s presence in the Asian market.

A Historic Opening Ceremony

Five high-profile figures opened the Polish Pavilion together. Former President of the Republic of Poland and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Lech Wałęsa led the ceremony. He was joined by Secretary of State at the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology Michał Jaros, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy Jacek Karnowski, Mayor of Gdańsk Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, and Deputy Mayor of Gdynia Tomasz Augustyniak.

President Wałęsa’s presence gave the event exceptional significance. Moreover, it underscored the importance of the Pomeranian delegation as a whole. His participation sends a clear signal: Poland is committed to building international partnerships grounded in cooperation and dialogue.

The Polish Delegation

The delegation brings together representatives from public administration, local government, and business. Paweł Orłowski, CEO of InvestGDA, leads the business side alongside Mateusz Prawde (InvestGDA), Evelina Zwierz (Invest in Pomerania), Grzegorz Bławat and Natalia Dąbrowska (Port of Gdynia), and Marcin Poltrok (Łączpol). As organiser, 8Foundry Alliance coordinates the full presence of Poland and the Pomerania region at the event.

Voices from the Pavilion

“Participating in Smart City Summit & Expo is a breakthrough step in building Poland’s international position as a technology partner. For the first time, we have succeeded in bringing together cities, institutions, and businesses around a shared, coherent vision of presence in the Asian market. The primary goal of 8Foundry Alliance is to initiate real projects and long-term partnerships that will translate into concrete investments and implementations.”

— Rafał Magryś, Chairman of the 8Foundry Alliance Cluster Council

“We are proud to be part of this important event, where innovation, technology, and international cooperation come together to shape the cities of the future. Taiwan is an exceptional place for exchanging ideas and building new partnerships. We hope our presence here will inspire valuable conversations, new connections, and practical collaboration between cities and businesses. Gdynia is a modern, open, and forward-looking city, deeply committed to innovation, sustainable development, and international cooperation. We are also proud of our sister-city partnership and cooperation with Kaohsiung. We bring to Taiwan not only the experience of our city, but also the spirit of Polish entrepreneurship, creativity, ambition, and openness.”

— Tomasz Augustyniak, Deputy Mayor of Gdynia

“The opening of the Polish Pavilion in Taiwan is the best proof of how much we can achieve through openness and collaboration. As Gdańsk, together with Gdynia, InvestGDA – the Gdańsk Economic Development Agency – and our other partners, we represent a united, strong voice of Pomerania here. Extremely valuable to us is the strong support and cooperation of the Polish government. We are here together to build lasting relationships, draw on the experience of global technology leaders, and jointly seek innovative solutions for Gdańsk and the region.”

— Aleksandra Dulkiewicz, Mayor of Gdańsk

What Comes Next

The Pavilion opening is just the beginning. In the days ahead, the Pomeranian delegation will hold business meetings, bilateral talks, and project presentations. Furthermore, B2B matchmaking sessions start tomorrow. Their goal is to spark concrete collaborations between Polish and Asian partners.

Overall, this mission fits into a long-term strategy to internationalise the Polish economy. In addition to promotional activities, the Polish Pavilion serves as a platform for real business relationships and innovative solutions at an international scale. As a result, Pomerania positions itself firmly as a technology and logistics hub open to partners from across Asia.