Poland aims to raise research spending to 2.2% of GDP within five years, says minister

Poland plans to increase investment in research and development despite competing demands on public finances arising from the war in Ukraine, the country's Science and Higher Education Minister Marcin Kulasek has said.

After announcing a new research partnership with the University of Oxford, Kulasek said the government intended to raise domestic research spending to the European average of 2.2% of gross domestic product (GDP) within five years. It would then work towards reaching 3% of GDP as soon as possible.

“First, we have to reach the European average of 2.2 per cent [of GDP on research and development],” Kulasek said. “In five years, we will reach this 2.2 per cent and afterwards, we will be trying to get to the other [3 per cent] threshold as soon as possible.”

The minister acknowledged concerns among Polish researchers about the level of funding available to the country's science sector. While research funding has increased under Prime Minister Donald Tusk's government, academics have continued to call for greater investment.

In May, hundreds of Polish academics protested outside parliament in Warsaw, demanding that research and development spending rise from 1.08% of GDP to 3% by 2030. Researchers have warned that inadequate funding could threaten the future of the country's scientific institutions and academic workforce.

Security spending and research investment

Kulasek said the war in Ukraine had placed additional pressure on Poland's public finances, with national security remaining the government's overriding priority. However, he stressed that investment in science and research would continue to be important.

Poland shares an eastern border with Ukraine, and the minister said the country's geopolitical position had to be taken into account when considering public spending priorities.

The government also wants Polish researchers to secure a larger share of European research funding. Poland is classified as a widening country within the European Union, a group of countries whose researchers have historically received a smaller proportion of competitive research grants.

Kulasek said the government was working with Polish scientists and the European Commission to improve access to funding programmes under Horizon Europe, the EU's research and innovation programme.

Oxford-Poland research partnership

The minister's comments followed the announcement of the Oxford-Poland Hub, a new initiative intended to strengthen academic links between Poland and the University of Oxford in the UK.

Backed by £900,000 over three years, the hub will support joint research projects and academic exchanges in the humanities and social sciences.

Kulasek said the initiative would help Polish and British researchers build longer-term relationships and strengthen existing collaborations. He also noted that a number of Polish academics were already working at Oxford, although some had not previously known about one another's research.

The partnership is intended to bring these researchers into closer contact and expand cooperation between the two countries.