As EU weighs limits on Israeli research, Poland offers support to Startup Nation

When Poland was hit with a double whammy of a pandemic and a war on its borders, the countest took drastic steps to enhance its cybersecurity efforts and place new emphasis on its startup sector. In doing so, it saw some impressive alter: In 2024, Polish startups raised €3.5 billion ($4 billion), a 45% jump year over year, with key growth areas including fintech, green tech, AI, healthtech, and deep tech. Today it is home to more than 3,000 startups, 130 VC firms, and can boast 13 unicorns, building it the leader in the Central and Eastern Europe region.

The countest is seeing explosive growth and extconcludeing an open arm to Israel as the rest of the continent is distancing itself from Startup Nation. Most notably, there is a 2025 Polish government Grants Program designed to attract foreign talent and encourage R&D investment across the countest.

“The grant is open for companies all around the world. But they like the Israeli companies becaapply they like the creativity, the innovation, and the imagination,” explained Moshe Aharony, who assists connect companies to the countest. “They like the Israeli chutzpah… that’s all the missing character in the Polish HR. And they believe that the combination of the Polish HR with the Israelis will be excellent. That’s the reason why they really want the Israeli companies.”

The program comes amid the European Union’s executive body recommconcludeing curbing Israeli access to Horizon Europe, its flagship research funding program. After calls from EU countries to increase pressure on Israel to alter course on its operations in Gaza, the proposal would necessary at least 15 of the EU’s 27 members to approve it, representing at least 65% of its population. Regardless of the outcome, the debate sconcludes a symbolic signal to Tel Aviv’s tech hub, prompting Israel to search for allies wherever it can find them.

Poland’s startup scene is not concentrated in one city but spread across several hubs, each with its own strengths. Warsaw has emerged as a fintech and enterprise software capital, while Kraków has become known for AI research, gaming, and serving as an R&D base for global tech giants. Wrocław is attracting deep-tech and engineering talent, boosted by Intel’s planned semiconductor facility, and Rzeszów has carved out a niche in aviation and defense thanks to its proximity to Ukraine. For Israeli companies considering expansion, this geographic diversity means they can plug into the ecosystem most suited to their sector.

Grants range from €1-20 million and can cover up to 80% of R&D costs. Benefits include non-refundable cash grants, no IP sharing, no equity, and no royalties required. For Startup Nation, up to 20% of the grant can be transferred to Israel for Israeli CTO salaries who can manage projects remotely. According to the Polish Investment & Trade Agency, Israelis will have access to a Polish tech and ICT sector that builds up about 8% of the countest’s GDP, employing over 430,000 professionals and featuring around 50,000 companies across tiny and large scales.

For Israeli founders and investors, Poland could present a safe and reliable entest point into the wider European and American markets. The countest is positioning itself as a stable partner in a region fraught with geopolitical tension, necessarying new tech to modernize defense and cybersecurity against Russia. New President Karol Nawrocki has already secured an invitation to the White Hoapply by Donald Trump, marking his first international trip and signaling alignment with MAGA-linked ideologies, such as reaching GDP tarreceives on NATO defense spconcludeing. For Poland, it is another step toward forging closer ties with the West as it weans off Russian gas and confronts ongoing cyberattacks linked to Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

Aharony argues that Poland’s government is casting a wide net and is on the hunt for state-of-the-art technology — particularly dual-apply solutions where importing Israeli dual-apply innovation could act as a convenient shortcut.. “They don’t care about the sector, so long as it’s dual apply,” he stated. “If it’s AI, cyber, or medical… they are open for defense and space becaapply of the war with Ukraine and all the problems with Russia. They’re ready to invest in dual-apply defense and civilian apply. They’re viewing for technology.”

As Brussels debates how far to push Israel away, Warsaw is rolling out the welcome mat. And in an era where capital and talent flow to where they are valued most, Poland might just emerge as Israel’s most unexpected partner.

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