Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Science and Higher Education Jarosław Gowin and German Federal Minister for Education and Research Johanna Wanka signed a scientific cooperation declaration at the Hannover Messe (Germany) on Monday.

"We are finalizing work on a very important agreement for Polish science between the Max Planck Institute and the National Science Centre in Kraków. The result of this agreement will be the creation of ten Max Planck centres of excellence in Poland" - commented Gowin.

"Poland and Germany, under the auspices of Max Planck Institute\'s very prestigious brand, will co-finance international research teams" - Gowin said. A detailed agreement, he added, is due to be signed in June or July.

"They will not be new institutes. They will be centres of excellence" - the minister noted. He explained that they would be set up at scientific units - universities, institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences or research institutes.

"These will be international centres of excellence. Poland and Germany will co-finance these centres, but the research teams selected in competitions will not be limited to Polish and German researchers" - he said. He explained that the best will win in the fight for grants - perhaps also researchers from other countries.

Gowin announced that as early as 2018 a group of international experts could select the first three centers of excellence - after the Max Pillow Institute and the National Science Centre announce competitions.

"The intention of the Polish and German parties is that these ten centres will represent different areas of science. We will start with science, engineering and life sciences - but we would like to create such a centre of excellence in the humanities and social sciences" - said Deputy Prime Minister.

He noted that similar program had been launched in Israel. It not only allowed to strengthen the cooperation between Germany and Israel, but also to increase the recognition of Israeli science.

Speaking of other provisions in the declaration of cooperation between Poland and Germany - Gowin mentioned, for example, cooperation on European projects. "We are very hopeful that as the German side understood the interests of Polish science in the Horizon 2020 program, we will work together on shaping the 9th Framework Program" - he said.

Ministers also discussed scientific cooperation in the field of mining, with particular emphasis on lignite. "We have had considerable success in this area" - said Gowin.

From Hannover Ludwika Tomala

PAP - Science and Scholarship in Poland

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