At this year's spring edition of the Impact conference, the position of art in the business world was strongly emphasized. Thursday's ART track brought together individuals and institutions that creatively connect these two seemingly distant paths. Panels featured individuals who have been striving to set new standards in the art market for years. They showcase unconventional ways to combine corporate activities with artistic thinking, as exemplified by the ING Polish Art Foundation, which has been running the Artist – Professional program aimed at the creative community. The lecture series introduces artists to the intricacies of the art world, offering them the opportunity to engage with its players – curators, gallerists, and fellow professionals who have achieved international success. The foundation also collaborates closely with contemporary art galleries, including during the annual Warsaw art event, Warsaw Gallery Weekend. The international law firm White & Case, in addition to building a unique photography collection focused on Warsaw, the location of their Polish headquarters, has initiated collaborations with artists on a commission basis, meaning they commission creators to produce works specifically for W&C. This is how, during the first lockdown, the deserted offices in a skyscraper at the heart of the capital became the temporary home of artist Ada Zielińska, who, in line with her cinematic aesthetic, photographed herself from the outside using a drone. Magdalena Kąkolewska, President of the Artystyczna Podróż Hestii Foundation, spoke about Art Branding. Ergo Hestia's activities encompass a competition for young artists, an art branding platform, and a contemporary art collection. More interestingly, it is the only corporation in Poland to possess a collection of old art. Selected works by Flemish and Dutch masters are currently on display at the National Museum in Warsaw. The ART track is one of Impact's innovative ideas. However, a truly unique undertaking was the collaboration with an artist invited to create a piece specifically for Impact. The cooperation between Impact and Karolina Bielawska harked back to the old traditions of artistic patronage, when great works of art were created at the behest of patrons – aristocrats, wealthy burghers, and especially the Church and rulers. Today, fortunately, the artist has become an autonomous individual creating art in accordance with their own principles. However, this does not preclude collaboration with patrons; on the contrary, it spurs creators to seek unconventional solutions, work on a different scale, or tackle issues that might never have occurred to them. Impact's idea was to express gratitude to the medical community in the era of the pandemic for their dedication, commitment, and effort. Artist Karolina Bielawska, inspired by the client's brief, reinterpreted the theme according to her own thoughts, translating it into a visual language. The resulting diptych, painted with bitumen and acrylic on canvas, features abstract forms. Ideas take the shape of strength, awareness of mutual dependencies, and transcending the known horizon. They speak of faith in a better future and the need to return to the balance and cyclical nature of nature, dictated by the feminine energy of Luna. The title of the work, "State of Permanence," paradoxically expresses a moment of stability within a continuous cycle of change. The diptych unexpectedly became another step, and at the same time, a counterpoint to Karolina Bielawska's series "Protective Layer," created during lockdown, which spoke of the feeling of oppression during confinement in a place that should provide shelter and security. Creating art collections, commission-based projects, programs for artists and the creative sector, and broadly understood art branding are all solutions that elevate a company's status to a higher level. Today's corporations are the equivalents of the great families of the past, such as the Medici, who, through astute management, built commercial empires of their time. They were also the greatest collectors in history and the first to bequeath their private collections "pro publico bono." The ING Polish Art Foundation's collection has a similar projected ending. Upon its eventual closure, the entire collection will be transferred to the public collections of Zachęta. The collection is also a showcase of its owners, as behind every corporation stands a person. A collector is an individual who has the courage to express themselves through art. Just as artists create objects, collectors shape their own worlds. Over time, a collection becomes their portrait. It testifies to the courage of the decisions made, the desire for exploration, and reflects changing needs. The first step to becoming a collector is to let go of fears.

To ensure an economy based on digital data is secure, the cloud can be utilized; it's a fast, cheap, and secure solution – said Justyna Orłowska during Impact’21. This is precisely why the GovTech Centre has created the ZUCH Cloud Services Assurance System. The ZUCH Cloud Services Assurance System is a portal for offering and acquiring cloud services for public administration and external providers. Through the system, public entities will be able to choose from 420 cloud e-services which ones they wish to purchase. Over 40 verified Polish companies offer their products on the platform. "This is one of the elements of the state's common IT infrastructure, designed to facilitate the adoption of the cloud in public administration," said Justyna Orłowska, Government Plenipotentiary for GovTech. "Organizing public procurement is time-consuming, which is why we are offering this platform. It connects public administration units with businesses that provide IT services for them. Such a solution automates the process of administration entering the secure ZUCH system," she added. According to Orłowska, the system is secure: data requiring higher security, such as state registries, is not stored in external cloud providers. Justyna Orłowska also spoke about the digitalization of the service purchasing process through ZUCH and how GovTech supports administration in transitioning to the cloud. The Plenipotentiary announced that the platform's development is based on listening to the feedback and ideas of its users. In her opinion, responsibility is an aspect of the development of the Department of Information Society at the GovTech Centre, as well as the use of the e-world.