How Polish Enterprises Cooperate with Business Environment Institutions and Absorb the Support Provided Under the EU Funds: Analysis of Survey Results

The aim of this chapter is to answer the question whether enterprises use the support of business environment institutions and how they assess the level of services provided by these entities. The objective will be verified on the basis of surveys conducted as part of the research project entitled “Determinants of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Small Businesses,” implemented by employees of the Department of Entrepreneurship and Industrial Policy of the Faculty of Management at the University of Lodz in the fourth quarter of 2017. The analysis of questionnaire surveys allowed us to formulate preliminary proposals of how diagnosed relationships of enterprises with business environment institutions can be strengthened. The most significant are (a) increasing knowledge about improving formal procedures in the area of establishing and continuing the cooperation of companies with business environment institutions; (b) disseminating good practices in the field of business environment institutions’ cooperation with businesses through networking activities, as well as the organization of meetings and online campaigns; and (c) enabling wide access to information on the benefits and effects of cooperation between companies and business environment institutions through various instruments, including Internet portals, consultation points, articles, and broadcasts.