On 4 March 2020, the first case of Covid 19 was registered in Poland. One year into the pandemic, the challenges are proving to be ever greater, creating the need to develop and deploy the most effective and innovative tools to manage the impact of the pandemic in the short and long term. The aim of the study is to identify, classify and evaluate innovations implemented by companies and local government units during the pandemic, as well as to show the impact of their implementation (for society and the local economy).
In addition, the authors aim to identify innovative solutions that have a comprehensive character while creating synergies, including support for the population and within the economic sphere, thanks to the initiatives of local government at the local level, local business and non-profit organisations. All these solutions are classified and analysed in the work as innovative local shields, while innovation, according to the definition of Rogers, is understood as “such an idea, solution, service or object that is perceived as new by a particular person or other unit of adoption”.
This means that it is not the objective but the subjective “novelty” of the solution that is important. The level of assessment (expert assessment based on a proprietary methodology related to types of innovation) will also identify innovations that can (should) influence the performance of business and society in the post-pandemic period.