Scientific research is necessary for economic development. In Poland, expenditures on science remain small, and private companies have low participation in the financing of research and development work. But the situation is changing slowly.

A total of 491 proposals were submitted to the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, requesting funding for projects in modern technology, in the first Technology Initiative program (IniTech). The ministry may allocate up to zl.300 million for this program. There were so many interested companies and research institutions that the next round of proposals, under IniTech 2, will be announced in the second half of June. By then all the applicants from IniTech 1 should have received a reply about whether their projects will be funded.

In Poland, much emphasis is placed on connecting business with science. This is in agreement with the policy of the European Union. The EU's Seventh Framework Programme for the years 2007-2013 will primarily finance applied research, whose results can be directly transferred to industrial and technological innovations.

Key research areas for Poland, and Europe as a whole, include computer science, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, energy, and environmental protection. Individual researchers, research and development centers, research institutes, and companies that would like to invest in the development or implementation of new technology can apply for research funding.

Scientific research funds
Resources earmarked for scientific research are managed by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. Most of them are granted on the basis of a competition where the researcher who submits the best proposal receives funding. Research institutions such as the Polish Academy of Sciences, various research and development centers, or university departments, may apply for funding. These funds should go toward some kind of ongoing activity, such as finishing a research and development project, purchasing equipment or paying employees.

Research institutions or individual researchers may also submit a proposal for the funding of a specific project. This occurs in two ways. Researchers submit their own projects, for example those related to their post-doctoral work or those whose results will bring practical applications. Likewise, it is possible to receive funding for a project related to a doctoral thesis. Every proposal must contain an exact description of the research, including methodology and expected results. Also necessary is an estimate of costs.

Another possibility is participating in a specific project requested by the Ministry of Science. These projects are thematically linked with one of the fields that are part of the Country Framework Program. This document, published in 2005, is valid for 10 years and specifies what research fields Poland should focus on.

The Ministry of Science's projects are announced on its website as well as in the newspaper Rzeczpospolita. Organizations that would like to work on one of the projects must submit an offer to the ministry. Individual institutions or a grouping of institutions may also participate in this process. Requested projects are not limited to those whose results will have practical applications for the economy. The ministry also announces opportunities to conduct research in the humanities, for example in history or literature.

There are also special programs that are unrelated to projects commissioned by the Ministry of Science, but also subject to the ministry's specifications. Usually, these programs finance the restructuring of research centers, training courses and scholarship programs.

Research institutions can also apply to receive funding for activities designed to support scientific research. These funds usually go toward preparing a research assessment or expert opinion, popularizing research, organizing exhibits, trade fairs and contests. They also finance prizes for notable research or scientific and technological accomplishments.

Young, talented researchers can count on a grant for up to three years. Every year the Ministry of Science gives no more than 10 research grants for people who are over 35, and are employed at a research institution. The amount granted may not exceed the monthly salary that would be expected for a professor in a public university.

Development and implementation research funds
Projects that help connect science with the economy are currently given priority. According to the Ministry of Science, the national budget will increasingly allocate more resources to this aim.

One of the applied research financing instruments are development projects. They encompass various kinds of research and development work intended to have practical applications in the economy or society.

Every year the deadlines for development project funding are May 31 and November 30. The proposals must be submitted both via the internet and in print form. Development projects can be carried out in specific fields listed on the Ministry of Science's website, such as electronics, telecommunications, construction, energy, transport, mining, and military science. The Technological Initiative program is a new item on the list this year. The first round of the program has been completed, with 491 proposals submitted. The ministry has announced the next application round. Certain projects that aim to create technological innovation on a large scale may even be fully financed. Projects based on implementing economic innovations are 60-percent financed.

Several dozen applications for Technological Initiative funds were submitted by institutions that act as intermediaries in the use of research findings for commercial purposes. Special opportunities were created for such institutions within the program. They can, for example, receive funding to conduct an expert study to determine the most cost-effective way of using an innovation in practice. The Ministry of Science can also finance the process of searching for potential buyers of new technologies.

Money from foundations and associations
Some organizations independent of the national budget support scientific research in Poland. The largest of them, active since 1991, is the Foundation for Polish Science, which sets aside about zl.20 million per year for various forms of supporting researchers. The foundation is best known for its annual award for notable achievements and discoveries. For the last four years this award has been given in four areas: humanities and social sciences; exact sciences; medicine and life sciences; and technical sciences. The award is considered to be the top research prize in Poland.

In addition, the foundation gives various types of grants, awards and support funds to both established researchers and those who are just starting their research careers. Young researchers can receive a yearly scholarship called "Start," which is intended for those who have obtained a doctoral degree or are conducting innovative research during a doctoral program. It is possible to extend these grants for an additional year.

The "Nestor" program finances short visits of eminent retired scholars to various research centers in Poland. A new activity of the foundation is the "Homing" program that gives grants to researchers returning from study abroad. The foundation also provides funding for laboratory equipment, participation in research conferences, issuing publications, and technology transfer into industry.

Besides the Foundation for Polish Science, there are other, smaller organizations. These specialize in certain forms of helping researchers, for example financing only certain items such as grants, conferences and seminars, or research in one specific field. Many of them benefit from the help of foreign investors and focus on cooperation among researchers from Poland with partners in other countries. Such organizations include the Stefan Batory Foundation, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the Polish-American Fulbright Commission, the British Council, and the World Society Foundation.
Tomasz Rybicki