ERA ARD

• The ARD landscape in Poland
• Priorities
• Main programmes
• Perspectives
• Funding mechanisms
• Donors and Recipients
• List of selected Web based information
• Country Profile Poland, ERA-ARD I 2009 - pdf version

The ARD landscape in Poland

The agricultural research in Poland is allocated in three categories of institutions:

1. Research Institutes under the supervision of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development,
2. Institutes of the Polish Academy of Science and other ministries,
3. Agricultural Universities.
   

The human resources for agriculture and rural development research are shown in table in Annex 9. The total employment of agricultural research units reached about eighteen thousands people, including approx. one and half thousands professors, and over four thousands researches with Ph.D. One third of the total employees with are having master of science degree.

The ARD programs are curried out by twenty Research Institutes supervised by the Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development and other research units mentioned above. An examples of research activities curried out by research Institutes given in the List of selected web-based information.

Priorities

Taking into consideration the fact that all major players (administration, research units and civil society) are actively included in discussion and involved in new law preparation ensures proportional priorities based on the mutual agreement.

The reorganization of the science system is becoming the main task till the end of 2007.

To become a full member of the CGIAR.

Main programmes

The agricultural research will be continue in all present research Units according to new law under the MSHE leadership (EU Framework programs, bilateral and multilateral programs). Research Units will continue and develop international cooperation with developing countries.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs plays an important role in financing an international cooperation by providing foreign assistance in the field of technical assistance, scholarships, food aid and humanitarian aid. This type of assistance is directed to selected countries of Eastern and South-Eastern Europe (non-EU members) as well as Central Asia (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan) Poland’s bilateral assistance is addressed also to the Balkan states.

Official Development Assistance (ODA) curried out by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs plays an important role in poverty reducation .

Perspectives

There is an urgent need to formalize the setting of ARD priorities and standards in Poland. As was stated above there is no national ARD program and strategy yet, however, there are individual strategies of agricultural research units and some coordination activities provided by institutions controlling the units.

Poland considers the collaboration with agricultural research institutes world-wide as an important part of effective poverty reduction.

Polish agricultural scientists would like to join the CGIAR.

The Polish agricultural scientists would like to discuss the subjects of research programs suitable for the developing countries on the Cracow’s meeting in June.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs plays an important role in financing an international cooperation by providing foreign assistance in the field of technical assistance, scholarships, food aid and humanitarian aid. This type of assistance was directed to selected countries of Eastern and South-Eastern Europe (non-EU members) as well as Central Asia (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan). Poland’s bilateral assistance is addressed also to the Balkan states.

In connection with its membership of the European Union, Poland has undertaken obligations with regard to the volume of development assistance and its quality. Development assistance funds will be increasing systematically so that Poland can achieve the ratio of the Official Development Assistance (ODA) to the GNP at the level of 0.17% in 2010, and 0.33% by 2015.

A new science law is being prepared now, partly approved by the Parliament, it’s centralizing all research and financing activities under the MSHE leadership, and will be introduced in January 2008. A new institution will be established – National Centre for Research and Development.

Funding mechanisms

* Extracted estimated figure as a 15% of the Total Polish Science Budget for 2006.
** Estimated as a 10% of Total ODA funds.

Donors and Recipients

The financial sources for science in Poland are shown in table above. The Ministry of Science & Higher Education is providing funds for any research going on within research units, including ARD. There are some additional financial sources and supporting funds for special programs available from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (especially for international cooperation), from the Polish Academy of Science and from the Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development. There are also other supporting institutions such as the Foundation for Polish Science and the National Contact Point Polish Academy of Science.

The total science budget distributed by the MSHE in 2006 amounted to EUR 889.50 million and made up 0.32% GNP. Unfortunately, it’s very difficult to estimate an ARD budget, however, it is expected that the ARD budget makes up approximately 15% of the national budget for science and about 10% of the national non-budgetary additional funds which makes the very estimated figures in table above. Unfortunately, there were no figures available to estimate donors and reciepients structure.

Country Profile Poland, ERA-ARD I 2009 - pdf version

pdf (English)