2019-04-02 19:17 update: 2019-04-03, 20:33
Photo: PAP/Paweł Supernak
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki attended on Tuesday the inauguration of the Łukasiewicz Research Network, during which he expressed hope that Polish science may be the most powerful driver of Polish economic growth.
The Łukasiewicz Research Network was launched on April 1. Thirty-eight research institutes, most of which are overseen by the Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Technology, are included in the network. The institution is aimed at conducting application research and development work which is of importance to the state.
The network's activities are coordinated by the Łukasiewcz Centre, headquartered in Warsaw. The current Deputy Minister of Science Piotr Dardziński was appointed as the centre's president on Monday.
"I believe that Polish science may be the most powerful driver of growth in the Polish economy. I firmly believe that thanks to the most modern technological solutions, we will be able to achieve what we established in the Plan for Responsible Development, that is, an industry sated with the thoughts of our scientists," Morawiecki said during Tuesday's celebrations in the Centre for Advanced Materials and Technologies Cezamat.
The head of government underscored the functioning of interdisciplinary and international teams in the Cezamat centre. "It shows that Polish science is increasingly growing to a world level and that productivity (...) is still growing." PM Morawiecki reminded that Polish productivity has grown by 12.5 percent over the last three years.
The prime minister indicated that more and more Polish researchers and scientists are being employed. "By now, there are 144,000 people who are working in the field of research and development. This is a growth of over 25 percent year on year," Morawiecki added.
Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Gowin, who also attended the inauguration, said that the Łukasiewicz Centre will "integrate and achieve the effect of synergy when it comes to the functioning of these institutes," adding that "they are to be the foundation of the dynamic development of the Polish modern economy."
The Łukasiewicz Research Network is also to ensure more effective cooperation of the integrated research institutes, among others, thanks to the unification of financial, human resources, real estate and intellectual property rights management mechanisms. The intention of the creators is for the network to constitute a "bridge" between science and the economy. The research network will also conduct activities aimed at shaping public awareness about advanced technologies. (PAP)
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