Learning without money and with old equipment. Applications for PLN 500 million, but only PLN 170 million in the budget

The growing financial expectations of the scientific community exceed the ministry's budget for the maintenance of scientific research equipment and research stations – told PAP the Deputy Minister of Science, Prof. Marek Gzik. He added that the ministry has PLN 170 million to divide in the competition, and the submitted applications amount to PLN 500 million.

This concerns the issue of subsidies granted by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education to scientific and research units for the maintenance of scientific and research equipment and research stations. In this version of the competition (for 2025-2027), only 18 applications received funding (including 11 public entities and 7 non-public entities – as determined by PAP at the Ministry of Science and Higher Education). The matter was publicized by researchers of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń when their RT4 radio telescope did not receive funds for the next three years. Minister of Science Marcin Kulasek, as well as Prime Minister Donald Tusk himself, commented on this case, announcing funding.

PAP asked the Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education, prof. Marek Gzik. – During over 20 years of Poland's presence in the European Union, science institutions have invested billions of zlotys in the development of research infrastructure. This equipment is aging and requires servicing, repair and modernization. Therefore, the financial expectations of the scientific community are increasing every year, which is reflected in the applications submitted for funding, he said.

According to him, the ministry has prepared PLN 170 million for this purpose in 2025 – of which over PLN 100 million are liabilities from previous years. – Unfortunately, expectations far exceeded financial possibilities – he emphasized. Therefore, only 18 projects (11 from public entities and 7 from non-public entities) were qualified for financing from the pool planned in the category of financing special scientific and research equipment.

– This is a difficult situation for the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, we must analyze our possibilities and support scientists in maintaining their research potential. The amount needed only for 2025 is over PLN 500 million, said Prof. Marek Gzik.

The Deputy Minister reminded that the Ministry of Science and Higher Education is making efforts to launch the INFRASTART program at the National Center for Research and Development to finance the maintenance of research infrastructure. “I hope it will be launched later this year,” he said.

In turn, next year, thanks to the activities of the ministry, funds for dormitories will appear in the Subsidies Fund. – This will allow us to relieve the burden of funds for education, some of which we will be able to spend on maintaining special scientific and research equipment – ​​announced Deputy Minister Marek Gzik.

He added that the Ministry of Science is also conducting talks with the Ministry of Finance regarding an increase in research and development expenditure.

So far, the Ministry of Science has not disclosed the list of applications, citing statutory provisions according to which – since they were assessed by a group of experts – they do not constitute public information. However, this was done a few days ago by Razem MP Marcelina Zawisza, who published photos of the list on her profile on the X platform.

According to them, the list of rejected applications includes 241 items for a total amount of over PLN 520 million. Funding did not receive, among others: The Museum and Institute of Zoology of the Polish Academy of Sciences into the Bird Ringing Center, the Institute of Plant Breeding and Acclimatization – National Research Institute into the National Gene Bank or the University of Warsaw into the Polish Photometric Telescope at the Las Campanas Observatory in Chile or the excavation base in Gonio (Georgia).

The MP also published a photo of the list of applications that received funding. This includes 18 items for a total amount of over PLN 170 million. Here you will find, among others: Polish Antarctic Station named after Henryk Arctowski (managed by the Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences), the Polish Polar Station on Spitsbergen (Institute of Geophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences), the International Mathematical Center. Stefan Banach (Institute of Mathematics of the Polish Academy of Sciences), the MARIA nuclear reactor (National Center for Nuclear Research) or the “Oceanograph” ship of the University of Gdańsk.

The competition for subsidies for the maintenance of scientific and research equipment and a research station was also widely reported a year ago, especially about the lack of financing for two projects: the “Oceania” ship belonging to the Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Bird Ringing Center belonging to the Ornithological Station of the Museum and Institute of Zoology of the Polish Academy of Sciences. The Ministry of Science explained then that the pool of available funds did not allow it to finance all projects, and applications were assessed by experts. Ultimately, however, the ministry decided to allocate funds to the Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences for the maintenance of the scientific and research ship “Oceania” in the amount of PLN 24 million for the years 2024-2026.

Agnieszka Kliks-Pudlik (PAP)

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