The regional winner of Poland will receive a prize financed by Astri Polska, as well as prizes from various other sponsors. The Astri Polska prize (worth EUR 8,500) includes:

• Three months of training at the company, during which the winner will be able to develop the proposed idea. They will have access to the technical expertise of Astri Polska and Astrium, consultations with technology transfer specialists, and further business consulting and coaching that will help the winners get their business off the ground.
• One year of promotional activities (e.g. on the Astri Polska website, at space-related events organised and attended by Astri Polska, and through the company's marketing channels)
• Travel accommodations to the ESNC awards ceremony on 25 October 2012

Poland is a country in Central Europe. The north of Poland, stretching to the Baltic Sea, consists almost entirely of lowlands, while the Carpathian Mountains (including the Tatra range) form the southern border. For over 1,000 years, Poland has been a country whose history and monuments harmonise with nature, creating picturesque scenes and leaving behind experiences visitors never forget.
In its innovation policy, Poland follows a concept of strategic thinking that is considered key to its economy's competitiveness. Numerous organisations work to produce innovations through different forms of action, including consulting and technology transfer. Meanwhile, further efforts in the fields of research, education, promotion, business support, and creativity are improving conditions for the SME sector by offering more financing opportunities. This is just one of the factors advancing Polish innovation and making the country more competitive in the world.

Astri Polska is a research and development company active in the satellite and space industry. The company is a joint venture that was established in September 2010 by the European space industry company ASTRIUM and the Space Research Center of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
Astri Polska's mission is to support the development of the Polish space industry in cooperation with public and private space-oriented organisations. The company specialises in executing projects in electronics, optoelectronics, GNSS, satellite observation, telecommunication, material science, and robotics. Astri Polska also cooperates closely with the European Space Agency on promoting the Technology Transfer Programme in Poland's network of technology brokers.

The ESNC Poland Challenge 2012 is being carried out under the patronage of the Polish Ministry of Administration and Digitization. The ministry acts as a central body in matters of administration, geodesy and cartography, information technology, and telecommunication. Its tasks in these domains involve the organisation and informatisation of public administration, management of telecommunication networks, establishment of IT standards, creation of an information-based society, and related activities. The Ministry of Administration and Digitization also deals with promoting innovative technologies and projects - including those related to the global European navigation system Galileo, which is the main reason behind its patronage of the ESNC Poland Challenge 2012.

GPS Hertz Systems, the main sponsor of the ESNC Poland Challenge, is a producer of military and civilian GPS systems. It is also involved in the installation, design, maintenance, and integration of security and communications systems. In the GPS business, Hertz GPS System offers excellent solutions to fulfil the vehicle-monitoring needs of fleet owners and individual users. The company has divided its GPS systems into three different subsystems: GPS Hertz Logistics, GPS Hertz Protector, and customer-tailored GPS systems. For more information about the company and its products, please visit www.hertzsystems.com/en.

GMV is a privately owned business group that was founded in 1984 and now trades on a worldwide scale in a series of technology sectors, including aerospace, defence and security, transport, telecommunications, and IT for public administrations and large corporations. In 2011, GMV and its more than 1,000 employees recorded over EUR 100 million in revenue. The group's growth strategy is based on continuous innovation; 10% of its turnover is invested back into R&D. GMV has also achieved Level 5 of the CMMI business-process improvement model and holds several international patents. The group is currently the world's top supplier of ground control systems (GCS) for commercial telecommunications operators and boasts Europe's third-largest participation by volume in Galileo. It is also the main supplier of C3I command and control systems to the Spanish army. In the ICT sector, GMV sets the standard as a provider of advanced IP network security solutions and services, mobility applications, and applications for the public sector and e-government development.