Polish science will not shake the Polish ruling coalition, but the community is not giving up

"The situation in science will not capsize the coalition boat, nor will it be the main cause of the expected split in the Left. But dissatisfaction in the scientific community is growing. Researchers are doing everything to ensure that science does not sink in silence.

Although the dispute over the shape of the reform of the Polish Academy of Sciences has been going on for several months, it was only staff changes at the IDEAS NCBR center, which is key for Polish research on artificial intelligence, that made the topic of science burst the bubble last week: according to Polityka data, it reached 40 million responses online in social media, and researchers representing various disciplines jointly approached Prime Minister Donald Tusk, asking him to intervene and raising the problem of underfunding of institutions such as the NCN.

Scientists thank the public, Prime Minister Donald Tusk does not speak out

Scientists from IDEAS NCBR published a letter thanking the public – journalists, representatives of science, podcasters, internet creators and all other social media users – for their involvement and expressing their belief that everything will end well.

Online Politics, analyzing trends, points out that 90 percent of comments about the Left, and especially Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education Maciej Gdula, are negative.

Internet users also criticized the Civic Platform (PO), accusing the party of lacking support for research institutions and insufficient actions to develop artificial intelligence in Poland. 

But it seems that politically the topic has burned out.

I have the impression that the situation with scientists is the first time that a social group has come to Donald Tusk and said directly: "We supported PO, and today we are billing for our support." The key word here is aspiration, because artificial intelligence and the NCBR IDEAS center appeal to the imagination of Poles - says Estera Flieger in the podcast "Rzecz w tym".

Dissatisfaction is growing in the scientific community, voices comparing the current situation to that of the extremely unpopular minister Przemysław Czarnek, as well as expressing fears that it can only get worse, are not at all isolated. However, science will not shake the coalition. And although it has divided politicians of the Left - when Wirtualna Polska reported that Nowa Lewica would not withdraw government recommendations for ministers Wieczorek and Gdula, Razem considered it a mistake - it will not be the main cause of the expected split.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk did not speak out, although winners of prestigious grants from the European Research Council, the Academy of Young Scholars of the Polish Academy of Sciences and researchers and enthusiasts (including entrepreneurs) of AI in Poland had counted on it. A petition has also been created for him to increase the NCN budget: it has been signed by over 3,500 people so far.

IDEAS NCBR: The Left is solving a problem it created itself

“I appeal to the community to be careful about mutual accusations and lack of respect” – Minister Dariusz Wieczorek lectured scientists on Radio ZET just a few days ago. Ultimately, the Left had to deal with the solution to the problem created by the Left itself. Specifically, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Affairs Krzysztof Gawkowski, who announced on Friday the establishment of the new IDEAS Research Institute. It will be headed by Prof. Piotr Sankowski: it was him who the scientists supported, protesting the results of what they considered a non-transparent and non-meritorious competition, as a result of which an outstanding and widely respected scientist had previously lost practically the same position within the NCBR. At the same time, a week has passed since Deputy Minister Maciej Gdula announced the results of the audit, which he used to justify controversial personnel changes, insisting that the unit headed by Sankowski had not brought the desired profits.

The image fire, caused by the Ministry of Science changing the president of the research unit specializing in artificial intelligence, has just been extinguished. A new project has been created, which includes a place for Prof. Piotr Sankowski.

However, scientists are not giving up. In the coming week, which will bring the names of this year's Nobel Prize winners, they want to raise issues such as the NCN budget and financing of basic research, as well as the emigration of scientists and the chances of Polish researchers for the most prestigious award."

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