When 3M was looking for a location for its new headquarters in the Netherlands, the city of Delft's reputation as a hub for innovation, technology and R&D made the decision a simple one.

Lublin is rapidly establishing itself as a leading business hub in eastern Poland, with companies attracted by the city's large and highly skilled talent pool. Now, it is looking to benefit from the growing nearshoring trend, and is setting its sights on attracting businesses in the business process outsourcing sector.  

For more than a decade, the Medical University of Lublin has been attracting foreign students to the city with its English-language medical degrees. Now, the rest of Lublin's medical sector is catching on to the idea of targeting foreign customers, and the city is positioning itself as a medical tourism hub.

Lublin is working hard to strengthen the links between academia and business, with incubators fostering innovation and co-operation in the technology sector. 

Which industrial parks are set to shine the brightest, and why? Karen E Thuermer surveys the assets of industrially focused areas within free zones around the world and explains why they are ones to watch.

Steeped in history, the Polish city of Lublin had fallen upon hard times in the 20th century. However, its 2013 to 2020 strategy plan is already reaping dividends in positioning the city as a centre of business, investment and entrepreneurship within easy reach of both Warsaw and neighbouring Ukraine.

Originally established to protect the interests of foreign investors in host countries, bilateral investment treaties are coming under fire, with many countries arguing that the balance has tipped too far in favour of the investor.

The Belarusian economy has been hit hard by Russia’s economic problems. Sergei Roumas, chairman of the Development Bank of the Republic of Belarus, tells Andrew Wrobel how the bank's projects are largely not at risk from this downturn, and says the country still has much to offer.