The president is throwing down the gauntlet to the government. PLN 5 billion for innovation and a technology council.

• President Karol Nawrocki has signed a legislative initiative concerning the draft law on the Breakthrough Technology Development Fund. At least PLN 5 billion will be allocated to support research.
• As we hear from the president's circle, the idea is to make the financing of Polish science independent from the problematic use of EU subsidies.
• Karol Nawrocki also announced the establishment of a council for new technologies at the Presidential Palace.
• The presentation comes a day after the government announced a draft budget in which spending on education falls in real terms.
• - I hope that we will find a supporter in the president in matters of financing higher education - said the Rector of the University of Warsaw, Professor Alojzy Nowak, welcoming Nawrocki.

President Karol Nawrocki has signed a legislative initiative establishing the Breakthrough Technology Development Fund. He proposes allocating at least PLN 5 billion annually to support key research areas. The funds would primarily target artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology, and drug production.

The president cited tightening the Polish tax system, including corporate income tax, as the source of funding. Nawrocki estimates that this could amount to as much as PLN 45 billion.

- Allocating PLN 5 billion for the technological revolution is not a great financial effort - said the president after signing the initiative.

A person involved in the project's creation added in an interview with WNP that one of its main assumptions was that more funding for science should come from the budget, as EU funds are difficult to allocate flexibly.

What areas will the project cover and who will benefit from it?

The Breakthrough Technology Development Fund will cover nine key areas. These are:

• artificial intelligence and robotics,
• biotechnology and medicine,
• material and production technologies,
• space and transportation technologies,
• digital and computing technologies,
• human-machine interfaces and immersive technologies,
• energy technologies,
• environmental, climate and agricultural technologies,
• neurotechnologies.

The direct beneficiaries of the Breakthrough Technology Development Fund are to be Polish universities, Polish Academy of Sciences institutes, research institutes, schools and their governing bodies, entities responsible for cybersecurity and creators of technologies critical to the economy of the future.

How will the presidential fund work?

According to the presidential proposal, the fund will be managed by a council composed of representatives of the President of the Republic of Poland, the government, the academic community, and business organizations. It was emphasized that no party will make decisions independently, which is intended to ensure balance and cooperation.

The fund will award funds through open and transparent competitions. It will also be coordinated with existing institutions such as the National Science Centre and the Polish Development Fund, and the system is designed to avoid duplication of support mechanisms.

Who is responsible for preparing the bill? New facts regarding Nawrocki's background

According to the president, the bill has been in preparation since February 2025. It was consulted, among others, by startup founders, as well as individuals previously involved in digitalization in Mateusz Morawiecki's government.

On behalf of the president, Antoni Rytel presented the principles of the bill on the Breakthrough Technology Development Fund. In the final months of the United Right government, he served as Przemysław Czarnek's representative for digital transformation. He then became director of the GovTech Center, subordinate to the Ministry of Education and Science. Rytel was dismissed when Dariusz Wieczorek became minister.

Easy to say, harder to implement

"The project sounds like someone read the entire scientific discussion on X from last year. You could say it responds to the expectations of the community," says one of the people present at the meeting, who had previously been involved in talks with the government about the situation of scientists.

Another researcher present at the presentation adds, however, that the presentation was very general, and that in science financing, the key issue is the precise design of mechanisms for awarding grants, including taking care of the experts assessing the applications.

"What really needs to happen now is for someone from the Presidential Office and the Prime Minister's Office to sit down and work on the project together. Otherwise, nothing will come of it," says the WNP source.

Where there are six projects, there is nothing to eat

The government, however, has its own proposal for a similar solution. Funds Minister Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz reminded us of this on the X website.

"Mr. President, there's no need to reinvent the wheel. We've already created such a fund," the minister responded to the presidential announcement. This involves PLN 4 billion and the Polish Critical Technologies Fund, which is financed under the European Funds for a Modern Economy (FENG).

Companies and research institutions will be eligible for funding. Companies planning to develop dual-use technologies—civilian and military—will also be able to apply.

Similar to the presidential version, the fund is intended to finance breakthrough technologies in the areas of digital, biotechnology, and energy efficiency. There are two caveats: the projects are intended to contribute to increasing the strategic economic independence of Poland and the EU and to introduce innovations to the European market.

The money is distributed by two agencies: research and development projects are run by the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR), and investment projects are coordinated by the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP).

As Pełczyńska-Nałęcz wrote at the 10th meeting, the president "can, however, promote this new fund together with us, so that knowledge about it and understanding of how important such activities are for the future of Poland reach all Poles, regardless of political divisions."

Scientists want the president to demand funding

The project presentation took place at the University of Warsaw's Center for New Technologies. It was opened by the University of Warsaw's Rector, Professor Alojzy Nowak. The Rector began by announcing that the President had met with rectors and representatives of, among others, the Polish Academy of Sciences.

I hope that we will find a supporter in the president on matters of financing higher education, said Professor Nowak.

It's no wonder scientists are widely disappointed with the government's new budget proposal. In 2025, spending on science was PLN 42.5 billion, and in 2026, it's expected to increase by PLN 1 billion. This represents a 2.3% increase, less than the rate of inflation.

Talking with the president could therefore be a way for scientists to put pressure on the government. For Nawrocki, however, it could be political fuel.