If we take our eyes off our immediate concerns and focus on what may happen some 20, 30 years from now, we will see the real problems of countries such as Poland more clearly. Many of these problems can be avoided if we begin to invest in intellectual capital. Efforts to develop intellectual capital today will produce results in some two or three decades.

That is the time needed to bridge the gap between science and business that was created as a result of decades of central planning and underinvestment in Poland's science sector. Under communism, the country's political system was inefficient and people were deprived of business freedom; Polish researchers were largely cut off from international research centers, projects and funds. All this changed after the fall of communism and the launch of market reforms in the country, but the science sector needs further reform-preferably via measures that are widely accepted.

The relationship between science and business is a key problem that has been extensively covered in our magazine. In this issue of The Polish Science Voice, it is further illustrated by the Polish Chamber of Commerce for High Technology, a new business organization that brings together universities, banks and technology companies from various industries. Established with the support of the government, the organization aims to promote the development of technology and innovation in Poland. The opening meeting of the chamber attracted officials such as Deputy Prime Minister Waldemar Pawlak and former Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek, who has been appointed chairman of the chamber's supervisory board.

In the fall the Polish Chamber of Commerce for High Technology is organizing a forum for Polish scientists dealing with advanced technology who have achieved significant success in business, both in Poland and abroad. The forum will be held in association with the Ministry of Science and Higher Education and the Ministry of the Economy. "We will invite scientists who have been successful in business and made money on their inventions and know-how. We want them to tell us how they did it; concrete examples are the best motivation," the chamber's president, Prof. Ryszard Pregiel, told The Polish Science Voice. Speaking about the organization's aims, Pregiel said, "We will try to persuade the authorities of Polish universities of technology to change their approach to academics wanting to manage hi-tech companies. We will try to show that this kind of work benefits researchers rather than hinders their scientific and teaching activities. Moreover, scientific career paths need to be adapted to contemporary requirements when it comes to technological development. The main criterion for promoting a scholar at a university of technology should be their technological and design achievements, reflected by the number of patents and applications, and the commercial results of their work. Research publications should not be the only factor considered. In this area, we are in complete agreement with Prof. Barbara Kudrycka, the minister for science and higher education; the ministry has embraced our proposal in its new guidelines for reform of the education system."

Another focus of this issue of The Polish Science Voice is energy, a topic that has always generated heated debate worldwide. This time we zero in on carbon dioxide emissions and biofuels, examining both the opportunities and the challenges involved.

We also write about companies are that members of the Polish Chamber of Commerce for High Technology and report on discoveries made by Polish archeologists in ancient Inca cities in Peru. On another topic, we describe interesting inventions and designs developed in Polish research laboratories. Finally, we portray Wyższa Szkoła Biznesu/National Louis University in the southern city of Nowy Sącz, one of the best known among the private business schools that have been established in Poland over the past two decades.