Research teams will be able to apply for up to PLN 200 000 of funding for research and development (R&D) projects as part of the first grant programme from the Podkarpackie Centre for Innovation (PCI). The total amount earmarked for grants is PLN 4 million. The aim of the programme is to support research bodies in R&D work to create prototypes and innovative technology. The grants are intended to support research projects with strong potential for commercialisation.

During the press conference before the meeting where the grant projects would be presented, ECR Group Member Marshal Władysław Ortyl pointed out, among other things, that this was what the regional government had created the PCI for. "This is a very important stage in the development of the Podkarpackie Centre for Innovation. The PCI aims to support entrepreneurship, innovation and the economy of the Podkarpackie region. We are starting today with the grant scheme, and in the final stage we want to have patents, inventions, start-ups and spin-off companies. Which is to say, everything associated with a particular product that would enable it to enter the market. We are talking about reaching a high level of innovation," Władysław Ortyl explained.