When it comes to spending on research and development (R&D), the number of innovative companies and the share of businesses in financing R&D, last years were a real breakthrough - Minister of Science and Higher Education Barbara Kudrycka commented on the recent CSO data on the government\'s blog.
The CSO survey published in October focused on R&D in 2012. The study included entities carrying out continuous or ad hoc research and development work, such as businesses, universities, PAS research institutions, research institutes. According to the survey results, the number of entities that carried out research and development activities in 2012 exceeded 2.7 thousand and was 23.1 percent higher than in the previous year. Internal expenditure on research and development, i.e. GERD (Gross Domestic Expenditure on R&D) in 2012 amounted to PLN 14.4 billion, an increase by almost 23 percent compared to the previous year. Spending on innovation research was 0.9 percent GDP in 2012, while in the previous year it was 0.76 percent.
"When the Eurostat figures placed our country in the tail of Europe in this spring - posted Kudrycka on the blog - self-flagellation of scientists and apportioning blame drowned out the voices of few experts, who pointed out that, firstly, we had one of the highest places in terms of growth, and secondly - the year 2011 was the time when the science and higher education reforms entered into force, and pro-quality financing and competitions allow to fund the best projects started. New state policy to stimulate collaboration between research centres and businesses and encourage researchers to set up special purpose vehicles, so-called spin-offs, also need time to bear fruit".
In her commentary, Kudrycka also draws attention to the changes in the mentality of scientists. "Today, words like commercialisation of research results, collaboration with business and personal financial success finally, are no longer threatening. Today, these words are starting to encourage action, and although there are still many scientists who lock themselves in the world of their own research, opening to the world and dialogue with the business environment and society is slowly becoming a reality" - commented the minister.
Kudrycka emphasised the increasing percentage share of private companies in the expenditures on R&D. "Since time immemorial, we had an impaired structure of research funding in Poland. While the developed European Union countries allocated one third of budgetary outlays and two thirds of private investment to fund science, in Poland the proportions were exactly reversed. This was the situation even two , three years ago. Today, despite the fact that the public spending on science continues to increase (PLN 5.6 billion in 2011, PLN 6.7 billion in 2012), the percentage is only half of the funds allocated to B+R. The era of applied research that had nothing to do but name with applications, becomes the past. We are also putting in the past the image of Polish entrepreneur, who can only copy ready-made solutions" - believes Kudrycka.
The head of the science department emphasized that she was looking forward to next year\'s Eurostat data that would compare the Polish increase in spending on research and development to other EU countries. "Given our growth rate and stagnation in most countries of the so-called \'old EU\' caused by the crisis, I venture to forecast that it will be a very clear jump" - she wrote.
The entry is available on the website.
PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland
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