Lecture by Dr. Wioletta Kilar (UKEN) – April 8th
The lecture will be delivered by Dr. Wioletta Kilar from the University of the National Education Commission, Krakow (UKEN). Her research focuses, among other things, on the processes of change in the spatial structures of industry across various spatial contexts, the formation and functioning of enterprises, with particular emphasis on the factors influencing the location and development of multinational corporations and their subsidiaries, as well as on the creation of global value chains and innovation. Dr. Kilar is the Head of the Entrepreneurship Education Research Team and the Executive Editor of the journal "Studies of the Industrial Geography Commission of the Polish Geographical Society."
Invited by the Spatial Warsaw research center, Dr. Kilar will deliver a lecture at the Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Warsaw. During the seminar the speaker will discuss her research titled „Location Drivers and Spatial Concentration of IT Corporation Branches in Poland” (abstract is provided below).
The lecture will take place on April 8th, 2026, at 15:00 in room A002.
Abstract:
The location of multinational corporations and their various types of branches is a complex process. This phenomenon has been the subject of research by many scholars across various academic disciplines. As representatives of innovative corporations, IT firms seek locations based on slightly different criteria than those of corporations with a traditional industrial profile.
The aim of this paper is to identify the factors that have influenced the location of IT corporate branches in Poland, particularly research-oriented branches, and their spatial concentration.
In recent decades, Poland has been an attractive location for innovative corporations, including IT firms.
The key factors influencing the location of innovative corporations are: high-quality human capital, understood as a hub for specialists in this sector, proximity to universities and research institutes, transport infrastructure, services, and the scientific, political and economic climate, including in particular access to information and capital, information infrastructure, agglomeration benefits including synergy effects, the attractiveness of localities as places to work and live, and a clean and unspoilt natural environment (Budner, 2004; Parysek, 1997).
Research shows that, particularly when using a synthetic index comprising nine empirical indicators, different factors were decisive for each location. The key determinants of the location of IT corporate branches are: employees’ income levels, as well as human resources and their quality, and agglomeration benefits. In most cities, the least significant factor was GDP per capita.
These factors mean that IT corporations concentrate their branches primarily in Poland’s largest cities and their metropolitan areas. Many of the corporations’ branches are located in Poland’s largest cities, namely Warsaw, Kraków, Poznań, Wrocław and Gdańsk.