Polish reforms ‘necessary but risky’

Academics in Poland are divided on a proposed government reform to the country’s research and higher education institutions.

The legislation, published on 19 September, is intended to deliver improvements, partly by creating 10 research-intensive universities that can compete on an international level for grants and funding.

Igor Konieczny, dean of the intercollegiate faculty of biotechnology at the University of Gdansk, said that reform was needed. However, he raised concerns that strong faculties at smaller universities would lose funding and the ability to compete on a global level under the proposal. “This is going to be a very hard time for some faculties,” said Konieczny. “Not necessarily because they are bad but because they are in the wrong [geographical] spot.”