Poland hosts many scientific events, creates programmes for the development of science, and signs agreements with other countries on cooperation in education and science. What is the current state of science in Poland?
Poland is a dynamically developing country, including in the field of science. Every year, millions and billions of zlotys are allocated for the development of science, support for scientists and research. Programmes are created to support young scientists, students and future scientists. The development of science directly affects the development of the economy. Today we will analyse the current state of science in Poland.
Science in Poland
Poland strives to develop specialists of the future not only in the classical fields of education and science, but also in new ones. Thus, the Ministry of Education and Science is implementing projects aimed at expanding educational offerings by introducing new fields of study, including quantum informatics and nuclear physics.
The country's universities were assessed according to the following criteria:
- Prestige;
- Scientific potential;
- Number of graduates in the labour market;
- Innovation;
- Conditions of study;
- Scientific efficiency;
- Internationalisation.
Having evaluated the higher education institutions in Poland, the following cities became academic leaders:
- Warsaw;
- Krakow;
- Wroclaw;
- Poznan.
Research and development sector
In total, there are 3,662 companies engaged in research and development activities in Poland. This is evidence of a wide range of opportunities for cooperation and project development. These companies play an important role in developing not only the scientific but also the technological potential of the country. In 2024, this market in Poland is estimated at €1.0 billion. This figure indicates significant investment in R&D in the country. Competition in R&D in Poland is moderate and stable. Moderate competition allows companies to develop without being subjected to strong pressure. A stable competition indicator indicates a certain equilibrium in the market.
Spending on science and higher education
Every year, spending on education and science needs to be increased to ensure the development and support of researchers and scientists. This includes not only the development of science, but also support for universities, salary increases, and the development of society. Over the past few years, spending on science and higher education in Poland has increased by PLN 8 billion. In 2024, this spending will increase by several billion zlotys, and the subvention for higher education institutions is financed by additional funds intended to increase the wage bill by 12.3%.
In addition, the Ministry of Education and Science ensures the development of science, research and development. For this purpose, funds are allocated to implement key projects in the field of science for academic centres, taking into account the Polish economy. Funding is allocated for the development of university infrastructure and the purchase of new and modern equipment. Projects aimed at promoting Polish science also receive financial support.
Support for young scientists
Among the programmes of the Ministry of Education and Science are programmes to support young scientists who want to engage in scientific activities and who want to develop their scientific potential. Thanks to this financial assistance, young scientists can get new and better opportunities for development and career growth. One of the components of financial assistance from the Ministry is the ability to conduct research at a sufficiently high level and use the results in further activities. For young scientists, this is an opportunity to implement their creative and original research projects, as well as expand their horizons and horizons.
"Implementation Doctorate" programme
The Implementation Doctorate programme is aimed at helping young scientists who want to combine research and commercial activities. It enables them to put their research findings into practical use at enterprises. This, in turn, contributes to the growth of scientific potential and stimulates innovative economic development. The Implementation Doctorate programme supports cooperation between business and science. Almost 2,800 postgraduate students have already received support under six editions of this initiative. It is planned to allocate more than PLN 740 million to co-finance research projects in the period from 2017 to 2027.
Agreements on scientific cooperation
Poland has concluded bilateral agreements on cooperation in the field of higher education and science with almost 100 countries from all over the world. These agreements provide for the exchange of students, teachers and experts, as well as various activities for the exchange of information, experience and best practices.
Among these countries are countries from Europe, Africa, North and South America, Australia, Asia and the Middle East.
Internationalisation of Polish science
The Polish government intends to internationalise Polish science and strengthen cooperation between research centres in Poland and other countries. This includes the implementation of initiatives related to the Year of Copernicus, such as the establishment and launch of the Copernicus Academy together with the Nicolaus Copernicus Main School, the awarding of the first Copernicus Prizes, and the agreement and signing of the Toruń Declaration during the Copernicus World Congress on freedom of scientific research, criticism and scientific debate.
In 2022, the National Agency for Academic Exchange (NAWA) awarded more than 6,100 scholarships to professionals and nearly 900 grants to academic institutions worth almost PLN 224 million, contributing to the internationalisation of Polish science.
The signing of the CEEPUS IV agreement is an important step in the internationalisation of Polish science. This programme, which is the second largest in Europe, has been providing international internships for students and academic staff from Central and Eastern Europe for 30 years.
During a meeting of the CEEPUS Joint Ministerial Committee, the head of the Ministry of Education and Science proposed to include the Baltic States in the CEEPUS agreement and develop cooperation with the Ukrainian scientific community.
Internationalisation of science is important for career development in Poland. By the end of 2022, the Ministry of Education and Science had concluded 200 international agreements in the field of science, higher education and research with 95 countries. Poland signed the most bilateral agreements with Germany (8), Austria (6), the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Polish researchers participate in the work of world-class organisations such as: The European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN), the European Southern Observatory (ESO), the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), and initiatives within the European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC).
Poland has an active science policy, with the main goal of supporting scientists and developing science. The government regularly allocates funds to finance various programmes and actively cooperates with other countries in the field of education and science. It is important to support young scientists and researchers, to encourage them to engage in scientific activities that will not only develop the country's scientific sphere and potential, but also contribute to the development of the economy. The participation of Polish researchers in the work of global organisations such as CERN, ESO and EMBL raises the prestige of national science and contributes to its development.
