KGHM Opens 2026 Innovation Exchange With Higher Rewards for Employee Ideas

What the program covers

KGHM Polska Miedź has started another round of its employee innovation program, known as the Giełda Wynalazczości. The company says it is changing the rules this year to pay authors more for their solutions. It presents the move as a way to make better use of the knowledge of workers on the shop floor and underground (Masz pomysł na usprawnienie pracy w KGHM? Miedziowy gigant podkręca zasady i płaci więcej za innowacje – Legnica.NET) (Pomysły pracowników napędzają rozwój KGHM. Rusza Giełda Wynalazczości 2026 – Strefa Inwestorów).

The initiative is open to all employees of Polska Miedź. Staff are invited to submit projects on new technical solutions, process improvements, safer and better working conditions, and higher efficiency in production (Pomysły pracowników napędzają rozwój KGHM. Rusza Giełda Wynalazczości 2026 – pulslegnicy.pl). Over the past five years, workers have filed more than 500 such projects.

Rewards and what happens next

The key change is financial. Winning authors will receive noticeably higher bonuses than under earlier rules, according to the company. Management argues that the people who work with the equipment every day are best placed to see where processes can be streamlined, risks reduced or costs cut.

Some proposals from earlier editions have already been put to use at KGHM. For selected solutions, the company has started procedures aimed at securing patent protection or utility-model rights.

Timing

The program has been run by the company for many years. The 2026 round was announced in mid-November.