27th March 2026

“R&D and AI in 2026” conference in Katowice – summary and key takeaways

On March 27, 2026, the “R&D and AI in 2026 – key boosters for business and education” conference, organized by Pro Progressio, took place at D9Space in Katowice. The event brought together experts from the technology sector, as well as representatives of business, local government, academia, and the business services (BSS) sector.

The central theme of the conference was the Transformation 4.0 of the Silesian region, with a strong focus on the role of artificial intelligence, automation, and innovation.

During expert presentations and panel discussions, the following topics were addressed:

• the development of the Katowice Gaming and Technology Hub on post-industrial sites, with a focus on gaming, AI, and R&D laboratories,
• practical applications of digital twins in optimizing production and logistics processes, presented in a case study by DBR77,
• the evolution of shared services centres towards agent-based AI solutions supporting complex processes, including ESG reporting optimization presented by SAIO,
• opportunities and challenges related to the implementation of local, sovereign language models, based on the Polish solution Bielik.AI,
• the importance of collaboration between business, academia, and public administration, as well as the need to adapt education systems to the changing demands of the BSS labour market.

Delivering an event of this scale was made possible thanks to the engagement of partners. Special thanks go to the Strategic Partners: the City of Katowice and the Katowice Gaming and Technology Hub. The event was also supported by: Katowice Special Economic Zone (KSEZ), Think Tank Marka Polska, Scandinavian Polish Chamber of Commerce, and Swedish Polish Chamber of Commerce in Stockholm. The media patron of the conference was FOCUS ON Business.

The Katowice conference demonstrated that R&D and AI are no longer just topics for discussion, but are increasingly becoming part of everyday business practice and regional development strategies.

We would like to thank all speakers for their insightful contributions and all participants for their presence and active engagement in networking. We invite you to follow upcoming initiatives and events organized by Pro Progressio in the coming months.