In Poland, there has long been a call for better collaboration between business and science. What changes would be most beneficial?
Innovation in Poland is currently underperforming, with the European Innovation Scoreboard 2021 ranking us 25th in Europe. However, the World Bank's 2024 report, titled ‘Making a Miracle’, highlights Poland alongside South Korea and Chile as a country that has transitioned from low development to a developed economy in less than 25 years. This remarkable achievement is a testament to the hard work of all Poles, as well as the scientific institutions that supplied the talent needed to establish new enterprises, attract foreign investors, and create innovation clusters.
The World Bank report highlights that advancing the Polish economy will require a significant boost in innovation, and there is still much work to be done. Currently, scientific innovation is largely driven by ministerial evaluation criteria, which, in the recent years, emphasise publishing in foreign journals over collaboration with businesses. This focus has diminished opportunities for such partnerships. The primary challenge is to encourage scientists to draw inspiration from the socio-economic environment, including companies and public institutions, so that research agendas address real-time demands. This approach is essential for fostering meaningful and impactful innovation.
What role could an institution like Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego, a development-centred bank, play in this process?
Cooperation between science and business involves investment risks. When businesses seek to implement new technologies, they typically require funding. The European Union is moving away from subsidy financing (commonly known as "free money"), with technology credit products becoming increasingly popular. Under these schemes, businesses borrow funds to implement technology, and a portion of the loan is later forgiven. These solutions have gained significant traction, as evidenced by the rapid depletion of funds in the first call for proposals under the current EU perspective. At BGK, we are committed to collaborating with businesses and scientific institutions to enhance and expand our technology credit offerings in the future.
How can we integrate business and science effectively?
We need to develop frameworks that incentivize scientists to engage with the business world. Since businesses typically do not have the capacity to learn the specialized language of science, scientists should adapt their communication to be more accessible to companies. Encouraging scientists to engage with the business sector is crucial. We need to establish evaluation criteria that make collaborating with businesses more rewarding than merely publishing scientific articles in foreign journals.
Secondly, this approach needs to be integrated into the strategic plans of universities and scientific institutions. During the panel discussion, I proposed the 3 x 20 Percent principle. This concept involves setting a target where 20 percent of an institution’s funding comes from collaborations with the socio-economic environment. To achieve this, institutions should allocate 20 percent of their resources to fostering business partnerships and redirect 20 percent of their human resources toward these efforts. Implementing this strategy would enable institutions to build competencies for effective collaboration with the business sector within a few years.
