The congress, organized by the National Chamber of Commerce was held 25 and 26 June at the Copernicus Science Centre in Warsaw under the theme "Compete. Measure up. Win!".

According to the ministry website, Minister of Science reminded of the funds that would be available under the Operational Programme Smart Growth in the new EU financial perspective. "Together with the National Centre for Research and Development we want to bridge the so-called +Death Valley+, the gap that forms between the public and private financing of research and development. Technologies end up at the bottom of the academic drawers because they lack the money for the final stages of the commercialization process. Pilot of the the Bridge VC programme shows that the government subsidizing the investment risk is a step in the right direction" - said Prof. Barbara Kudrycka.

The Minister also mentioned the effects of the reforms carried out by the Ministry of Science. "Through the university program autonomy we gave universities the opportunity to develop innovative curricula. This year, for the second we have awarded million zlotys for the implementation of the best programs of study based on the National Qualifications Framework. We havce also launched the ordered courses programme and successfully reversed the unfavorable educational structure, adjusting it to the needs growing economy" - added the Minister of Science. She also emphasised the special role of the young generation of researchers and the importance of promoting the grant culture in Poland, which would motivate researchers to develop original research ideas.

Kudrycka also presented other proposals to strengthen the cooperation between science and business. The recently presented "Innovation Package" includes proposals for changes in the law on public procurement to facilitate conducting scientific research, the possibility of donating 1 percent CIT to the best research units, and a programme to encourage venture capital funds to invest in projects with the participation of Polish scientists.

"In recent years we have invested , more than PLN 25 billion in modern research and teaching infrastructure, but that\'s not all. We also want to enfranchise researchers and give them the property rights to their inventions. This will motivate them to commercialize technology. We also want the business sector to define important research subjects from business point of view" - emphasized Prof. Barbara Kudrycka.

PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland

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