Innovative Activity of Companies in the Raw Material Industry on the Example of Poland and Slovakia – Selected Aspects

This paper discusses selected aspects of Innovative activity of companies in the raw material industry. The analysis included two countriesfrom the group of Moderate Innovators (according to the Global Innovation Index, GII), namely Poland and Slovakia. A generalcomparison of the innovativeness level of Poland and Slovakia with the EU countries was conducted using indicators such as theInnovation-friendly Environment (IFE) or the Summary Innovation Index (SII). The presented structure of expenditures on industrialinnovation among the analysed countries revealed the absence of concentration in organizational and marketing innovations, whichnowadays possesses significant importance. The conclusion resulting from the study is that Poland and Slovakia should undoubtedlyincrease their innovative potential, i.a. in the use of their mineral raw materials as non-renewable resources, by identifying the sourcesof innovation, as well as the opportunities and threats associated with their implementation in raw material enterprises.