Smart Region as a Catalyst for Sustainable Socio-Economic Development Transmission Channels of Intelligent Solutions to the Region's Development Policy

Joanna Marszäek-Kawa - Professor Dr. Habil. at Faculty of Political Science and Security Studies, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toru¿, Poland; President of the Center for Eastern and African Studies. Her research focuses on European parliamentarism, political system transformations in Europe and Asia, and memory politics in transitional periods. She is the author and editor of over 500 academic works, including publications in Russian and Chinese. Joanna Marszäek-Kawa is a Member of the Political Science Committee of Polish Academy of Sciences, sits on the Executive Board of the Polish Political Science Association, and serves as a President of Toru¿ branches for two associations: Polish Political Science Association and Polish Association of International Studies. She is also Editor-in-Chief of several journals, including Athenaeum. Polish Political Studies, Polish Political Science Yearbook and Nowa Polityka Wschodnia. Professor Marszäek-Kawa is the initiator of the International Asian Congress, one of Europe's largest academic events on Asia. She has led numerous projects funded by the National Science Centre and the Ministry of Education and Science of Poland.

Piotr Siemi¿tkowski is a Professor at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toru¿ (Poland). His research focuses on regional sustainable development, as well as the economic security of the country. Author and co-author of over a hundred scientific publications, including monographs, academic textbooks and articles in Polish and foreign scientific journals, e.g. Municipal companies as facilitators of smart and sustainable regional development policy (2025), Eastern European perspective on security studies: lessons from Poland (2023), Indebtedness and the pace of catching up in the CEE countries (2022), The local dimension of security policy (2020), The implementation of the sustainable development goals at the local level (2020). Editor-in-Chief of the scientific journal "Torun International Studies". His scientific work also has a practical dimension. As the head of the Local Action Group, he developed the Local Development Strategy, which is successfully implemented. He works on the Supervisory Boards of local municipal companies.

Maciej Rä is a political scientist, specialising in international political relations and the activity of subnational actors in IR (paradiplomacy), as well as the Vice-Rector of the University of Warsaw. As a part of his work at the faculty, Prof. Rä held various functions such as the Dean's Representative on Foreign Ph.D. Candidates (2013-2020), Head of the Postgraduate Cultural Marketing Studies (2006-2014) and Head of the National Security Study. From 2020 to 2024 he was the Vice-Dean for Students Affairs. Prof. Maciej Rä has carried out research and teaching internships, while also lecturing as a visiting professor in China, Germany, Russia and Türkiye. He has presented papers in Baltimore, Bangkok, Bonn, Chengdu, Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Jerusalem, Odesa, Moscow, Nashville, Saint Petersburg, San Francisco, Sofia and Tokyo. Prof. Rä has been an author or co-author of about 80 scientific works on international relations. Most recent publications: The Routledge Handbook of Paradiplomacy (2026), The History of Russia-European Union Relations (2021), Dynamics of International Activity of Sub-state Regions (2021), Ambiguities of Europe's Eastern Neighbourhood: Perspectives from Germany and Poland (2020), Regions of the Russian Far East and Pragmatic Eurasian Para-diplomatic Relations (2020).