{"id":18902,"date":"2024-01-18T12:48:57","date_gmt":"2024-01-18T11:48:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/badania.uew.pl\/non-fiction\/poland-an-assembly-plant-of-europe\/"},"modified":"2024-05-07T11:49:19","modified_gmt":"2024-05-07T09:49:19","slug":"poland-an-assembly-plant-of-europe","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/badania.uew.pl\/en\/comments-from-uew-experts\/poland-an-assembly-plant-of-europe\/","title":{"rendered":"Poland an assembly plant of Europe"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Do we want to be just an assembly plant for Europe? Why Poland should double spending on science<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

dr hab. Agnieszka Bem<\/a><\/strong> prof. WUEB<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

expert of the Wroclaw University of Economics and Business<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I listened intently to Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s expose<\/strong>, hoping to hear good news for scientists. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister forgot to even mention the Minister of Economic Affairs. sciences. This worries me all the more because the issue of scientific research also did not figure prominently in the election programs, not to say that it was overlooked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the reality is that we spend only %-50% of what leading European countries spend on science and higher education<\/strong>. We also spend significantly less than our neighbors (60-70%, Czech Republic, Slovenia). Since 2015, less and less has been allocated from public sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In terms of public spending on science, we rank 19th in the European Union, and 16th if we consider total spending<\/strong>. Public spending on higher education ranks us 10th. And we’re talking about spending in relation to GDP and not per capita, because after all, 1% of Germany’s GDP means much more spending than 1% of Poland’s.<\/p>\n\n

I understand that when the budget quilt is too short, it’s easy to cut science or R&D spending and focus on the “here and now,” tempting the electorate with more social programs. The effects of such austerity will not be seen immediately, but in the long run it is a slow death for our economy.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Why is science and higher education so important? <\/strong>Because until now, our economic growth has not been based on the effects of indigenous scientific activity but largely on innovation “imported” with the influx of foreign capital. But this model is slowly running out, and if we don’t want to be just an assembly plant for Europe we need to find new growth engines. Our wages are rising and soon we will no longer be able to compete with cheap labor.<\/p>\n\n

Such a new engine is scientific research (basic and applied) and higher education. <\/strong>This means new solutions and technologies<\/strong>, but also educated human resources<\/strong> who can implement these innovations in companies. With human capital and a structural change in the economy, we can push our development on a whole new track.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

R&D spending is correlated with productivity growth. This way, although there will be fewer of us in the future, we will produce a higher GDP, we will work smarter not harder!<\/p>\n\n

And importantly, a huge role is played by the public sector – the example of the United States or China shows the fundamental role of public funds in conducting basic research.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Look at China – until a few years ago, we used the term “Chinese” disdainfully to describe low-quality products, and China was often accused of stealing the intellectual property of companies that sought cheap labor there. Today, China leads the way, right after the U.S., when it comes to spending on science – spending more than the entire European Union. Such a development path, though perhaps on a smaller scale, can also be pursued by our country.<\/p>\n\n

So if we want to catch up with Europe we should double our spending on science<\/strong> – both public and overall. Businesses should be encouraged to invest in innovation while investing in basic and applied research and higher education!<\/p>\n\n

Mr. Prime Minister, Mr. Minister, please remember science is an investment in our future!<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n

We need to look at the development of our country from a perspective longer than the term of the Sejm!<\/p>\n\n

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