On 2 July, government leaders of Poland and Germany met in Warsaw to adopt a document in which they agreed to boost social and economic cooperation. A science section of the document refers to the Dioscuri centres, a joint initiative of the National Science Centre and the Max Planck Society, and NCN’s collaboration with the DFG.
The “German-Polish Action Plan” is a document adopted as a consequence of international consultations involving the Polish Prime Minister Donalda Tuska and German Chancellery Olaf Scholza. The consultations were held in Warsaw at the beginning of the week. The governments of the two countries declared their wish to cooperate in the area of economy, defence, science, education, etc..
In the science section of the document, the signatories expressed their wish to “provide a strong foundation for science, research and innovation through joint investment in order to secure prosperity, competitive strength and the technological sovereignty of Poland, Germany and Europe.”
Two initiatives of the NCN and its German partner are mentioned in the document: the Dioscuri centres jointly managed by the NCN and the Maxa Planck Society (MPG) and NCN’s cooperation with the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG).
The document adopted by the two governments provides as follows “Dioscuri centres in Poland (…) set the benchmark for scientific excellence, promote brain circulation within Europe and develop the “European Research Area” further. We want these centres to become points of leverage to intensify European cooperation.”
The Dioscuri programme seeks to support outstanding scientists in their cutting-edge research at Polish research institutions. Eight Dioscuri centres have been established so far at the research institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences and at the Jagiellonian University. The following early-stage researchers who have returned to Poland after years of work abroad are the previous winners, selected by the international research committee:
- Dr Aleksandra Pękowska and Dr Grzegorz Sumara
- Dr Paweł Dłotko, Prof. Gracjan Michlewski and Dr Bartłomiej Wacław
- Dr Mikołaj Frączyk, Dr Przemysław Nogły and Dr Mateusz Sikora
Strong efforts are underway to launch the next edition of the programme.
In the German-Polish Action Plan, the signatories provide as follows: “We are pleased about the intensive collaboration between the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and the Polish National Science Centre resulting from their participation in the multilateral European Weave initiative.” Furthermore, the document mentions the Polish-German Science Meetings organised jointly by the NCN, DFG and the Foundation for Polish Science.
Information on intergovernmental consultations and full text of the German-Polish Action Plan are available on the website of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland: