The Council of Ministers has adopted a draft law amending the Act on the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBR) and the Act – Law on Higher Education and Science, submitted by the Minister of Science. The government wants to strengthen the supervision of NCBR, which will be subordinate to the Minister of Science.

The National Centre for Research and Development is an executive agency that implements Poland’s scientific and innovation policy. It is concerned with running scientific research and development programmes that are strategic to the interests of the state.

According to the new solutions, NCBR will have to obtain the consent of the Minister of Science to establish companies or take up and acquire shares and stocks.

The new regulations will improve control over NCBR. They will also make it possible for the Centre to efficiently and effectively perform tasks concerning the state’s scientific policy. This includes management of the most important programmes of scientific research and development works, stimulating entrepreneurs to invest in scientific activity or supporting commercialisation of the results of scientific research or development works and other forms of their transfer to the economy.