Poland has given itself five years to bring research and development spending up to 2.2 percent of GDP, matching the European average. Science minister Marcin Kulasek says public funding will have to rise while companies must also put more money into innovation work.
The target was set out in an interview with WNP by the minister of science and higher education, who presents research spending as a condition for keeping Poland’s place among the world’s largest economies.
– We will not hold on to our position as the twentieth economy in the world or the sixth in the European Union if we do not secure proper financing for Polish science – Kulasek said.
He points to calculations suggesting that money channelled into research comes back to the state multiplied.
– All the estimates show that a zloty spent on research and development, a zloty spent on science, returns after some time as four, or even seven, zlotys. That is why investing in science should be treated as one of the most profitable investments a state can make – the minister stressed.
Raising the budget line alone would not deliver results if the findings never reach industry. Kulasek acknowledges that improving technology transfer remains one of his ministry’s key tasks, and that companies need to tap into the potential of Polish universities.
Money and institutions lined up for business-science links
To close that gap, the ministry intends to use institutions under its supervision, including the National Centre for Research and Development and the Lukasiewicz Research Network. A programme called Science4 Business – Nauka dla Biznesu has been given almost 300 million zlotys.
A dedicated team was appointed to draw up guidance aimed at making it easier for researchers to reach industry, and for entrepreneurs and the economy to reach Polish scientists and the results of their work.
– We set up a special team that prepared recommendations. These are guidelines meant to make it easier for Polish scientists to reach industry, and for entrepreneurs and the economy to reach Polish scientists and the results of the research they conduct – the minister said.
Space technologies and electromobility singled out
The conversation took place during the New Mobility Congress, and Kulasek was asked which fields could matter most for the Polish economy in the coming years. He says every branch of science counts, while naming two areas where Poland has room to grow: space technologies and the competences tied to the space industry, and electromobility.
The minister also ties the development of Polish science to career prospects at home, so that young people can use the skills they acquire without leaving the country.
– We want to create conditions for work and scientific development such that the most talented graduates and researchers choose a career in Poland and are eager to return home after gaining experience abroad – Kulasek concluded.
A conference titled Nauka. Rozwoj. Biznes is scheduled for 25-26 November in Warsaw, where the financing of Polish universities will be among the topics discussed.
Źródło: WNP.pl, Fot. WNP.pl
