Special group will support researchers and businesses in the battle for EU grants

Establishment of the group for increasing the activity and participation of Polish scientists and businesses in the EU Horizon 2020 is one of the results of the Humanities Round Table, which took place in February at the initiative of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

Kolarska-Bobińska proposed to establish this and two other working groups in a letter to the participants of the Humanities Round Table, published on the Ministry of Science website. "During the meeting we identified key areas that require strengthening or solving specific problems. I would like effective solutions to be developed by several-person groups, to which I will invite representatives of the community" - wrote the minister.

One of the group will develop mechanisms to strengthen interdisciplinary research and studies. The need for systemic solutions for this issue was emphasised by many participants of the Humanities Round Table.

Another group will work on the introduction of general university courses in all fields of study. "In the coming weeks, we will agree upon the range and scope of these activities in the framework of a working group with experts, representatives of the students and rectors, so that their gradual introduction is possible by means of regulation as of October 2014" - wrote the Minister of Science.

Minister Kolarska-Bobińska will report on the results of the work of the groups on a regular basis through the Ministry of Science and Higher Education website and newsletter.

According to the Ministry of Science website, the group for increasing the activity and participation of Polish scientists and businesses in the Horizon 2020 has already launched activities. Its task is to develop new mechanisms and solutions that will make it easier for Polish researchers to apply for EU grants and obtain funding for research projects. The aim of the activity is also strengthening the role of business in obtaining funds from the new EU financial pool.

Science Minister invited representatives of all the communities involved in the efforts to obtain EU funds to participate, including representatives of the Ministry of Science, employees of research institutes and research funding agencies in Poland.

"We are facing major challenges in Horizon 2020. In order to get European funds, we need to improve the activity of Polish researchers in the fight for grants. In more than 4.5 thousand grants funded by from the European Research Council (ERC), only 29 were Polish grants, and only 15 were implemented in Poland" - said Prof. Lena Kolarska-Bobińska during the group inauguration.

She also reminded that Poland should draw conclusions from the earlier EU\'s 7th Framework Programme in order to take advantage of the opportunities afforded by its successor, Horizon 2020. "In the previous financial perspective of the EU, Polish researchers recovered only 1.14 percent. We are in last place in the EU in terms of the number of financial applications per one thousand researchers. We do not use the potential that we have. We already have laboratories, we have the infrastructure worth nearly PLN 27 billion. Now we need to use it" - she emphasized during the meeting.

In the letter, the minister also reminded that work was underway on a new formula of the government ordered courses program. In mid-April, the results of the evaluation of the current results of the program will be presented.

PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland

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