FabLabs as local business incubators on the example of Krakow

Abstract

Entrepreneurship is an important element of the modern market economy. The characteristic features that describe modern entrepreneurship are expansiveness and innovation. Expansiveness defines the willingness to catch up with the best and setting ambitious goals. Innovation means a constant search for novelties and constant improvement. The functioning of modern places such as FabLabs fits in with the characteristic features of modern entrepreneurship. The scientific goal of this publication is to present the FabLabs institutions as innovative organizations that catalyze entrepreneurship on a local scale. The article presents a detailed analysis of the Krakow community of the FabLabs. The research methods used in the article are: analysis of existing data and telephone interview. The article was created using compact book materials, magazines, as well as netographic information and telephone contacts with representatives of Krakow’s FabLabs. The article describes the concept of FabLabs, its roots and development in the world and in Poland. The functioning and role of the FabLabs as local entrepreneurship centres in Poland were discussed. The activities of the FabLabs in Krakow were thoroughly analyzed. The thesis put forward in the publication is that FabLabs play an important role in supporting local entrepreneurship. The research results positively verify the thesis. Based on the collected data and the information obtained, it is clear that the functioning of the FabLabs in the city of Krakow significantly favours local development of entrepreneurial attitudes.

Keywords

• expansiveness
• innovation
• creativity
• society
• local systems