MINDSAILORS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER - INTERVIEW WITH PATRYK STRZELEWICZ, CEO

The designation of a Research and Development Center has been awarded to Mindsailors. What does this imply for us and our customers? We asked our CEO, Patryk Strzelewicz, a series of quick questions to find out why this status is so important to certain of our clients.

WHY IS IT SO VITAL FOR MINDSAILORS TO BECOME A RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER?

Since Mindsailors' beginning in 2005, all of our efforts have been focused on bringing our clients' little and huge ideas to life.

Over the years, we've developed a unique six-stage design process that ensures that the customer's concept and vision become a refined and ready-to-manufacture product. When our services extended to include DFM (design for manufacturing), production monitoring (supervising and quality testing chosen manufacturers in the initial batches of production), and electronics design, we began the process of applying for R&D Center accreditation in 2019.

As we've assisted in the development of more and more market-ready projects in recent years, we've come to the conclusion that the ideal way to continue our company's progress is to participate in even larger initiatives that begin with fundamental research and iterate toward commercialization.

We've already started working on a research and development initiative with Bialystok University of Technology (CBR). It's for the health and safety industry, and it has a lot of potential to alter the production processes of one of the most important building site accessories into more environmentally friendly ones while also boosting the safety of construction workers.

We will be able to carry out even more similar projects in collaboration with Polish entrepreneurs now that we have the official status of a Research and Development Center.

IS ACHIEVING THE POSITION IMPORTANT TO YOU PERSONALLY?

Engineers with an artistic soul and artists who can also be engineers make up our team. The designation as a Research and Development Center is a good distinction for us, and it confirms that the work we perform is valuable not only to our clients, but also to the country's macroeconomics and economy.

Poland's Ministry of Technology and Development has conferred this status. EC-Engineering, which thoroughly designs rail carriages, AstraZeneca, a leader in the bio-pharmaceutical business, KGHM Cuprum, or CD-Projekt, possibly the most well-known of Polish global enterprises, are among the companies with the Research and Development Center status. Each one concentrates on tangible goods and specialized, valuable services. Being a part of this club confirms that we've selected the appropriate path for our company's growth.

WAS OBTAINING THE STATUS OF A RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER DIFFICULT?

First, the Tax Office audited Mindsailors to see if we were eligible for the research and development status. We had to meet specific requirements, including current taxes, complete accounting settlements, a minimum of 70% R&D projects, and a minimum annual turnover of PLN 2.5 million.

The process took two years in all and was fairly hard for someone who, for example, utilizes engineering tools on a regular basis. Although it was easier for us to discuss the projects in progress and demonstrate that they were the outcome of a professional design process that was technologically correct and implementation-focused.

We exchanged 315 e-mails in 15 threads from the minute we decided to apply in this case - perhaps this will be a measurable indication of how difficult the process was! Nonetheless, according to the Ministry of Technology and Development's official website, we are Poland's first industrial design firm to be designated as a Research and Development Center.

WHAT IMPACT WILL THIS HAVE ON MINDSAILORS?

Apart from the requirement to track working hours and separate individual designers' days into specific projects, which we already did to some extent, not much changed. We'll keep working as effectively as possible on projects. Our perspective on the number and size of projects in which we can participate is shifting. We expect to see more intriguing and substantial projects from entrepreneurs in the future that will necessitate an R&D process.

We will be able to share our skills in the fields of Industrial Design, such as Conceptual Design, Mechanical Design, Design for Manufacturing, Production Supervision, and Embedded Electronics, including Technical Research, PCB Design, Firmware Development, Design for Launch, EMC/RED/LVD Precertification, Customer Product Review, and technical consultation as a team of engineers.

We've found that fresh and more challenging initiatives contribute the most to the Mindsailors team's development over time.

IS THERE ANY VALUE TO MINDSAILORS' CUSTOMERS ACQUIRING THE STATUS OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER?

Customers that visit us value the benefits of our research and development efforts. The R&D process is what allows us to provide our customers with fresh, distinctive, and inventive items while also propelling their businesses forward. Each new visual concept, mechanical model, visual prototype, or functional prototype developed in collaboration with Mindsailors Research and Development Center is now eligible for a double R&D tax deduction.

For us, this means taking a more aggressive stance on budget difficulties, which translates directly into the formation of more and more capable project teams.

Entrepreneurs in Poland who finance initiatives with private cash as well as those funded by EU funding can apply for this type of R&D assistance.

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