Defence and security, chemistry for industry, energy transition and the circular economy – these are the four key directions on which the research and pro-innovation activities of the Łukasiewicz Research Network will focus starting in 2025. The new development strategy was prepared by the Łukasiewicz Centre in cooperation with 22 Network Institutes and external experts.
The first development strategy in the history of the Łukasiewicz Research Network in 4 to 10 years is expected to accelerate its transformation into a modern nationwide organisation specialised in conducting R&D activities, but also capable of efficiently – and more effectively than before – commercialising research results into the economy.
The document outlines four main directions for the Network to focus its essential activities and development projects. These are defence and security, chemistry for industry, energy transformation, and the closed economy – areas that are priorities for investment in innovation not only in Poland but also in the European Union from the perspective of the next decade. Furthermore, the strategy envisages strengthening the institutes’ research potential and ability to cooperate within the Network, establishing more effective cooperation with business and scientific institutions, and developing operation models to respond more quickly to market needs.
The new strategy is the first coherent vision for developing the Łukasiewicz Research Network. An attempt to create it was made by the previous Łukasiewicz authorities. Still, due to the vast number of amendments submitted to their draft, they never obtained the necessary approvals from the Network’s bodies. Work on the current document took more than half a year. In its creation, the experts of the Łukasiewicz Centre took into account the challenges of Polish innovation, including the level of R&D expenditures and the still insufficient cooperation between science and industry. They also analysed the weaknesses of the Network itself, above all, the low level of revenue from the commercialisation of research results, which reached only 1.1% of the organisation’s total income in 2023.
The project, prepared by the management and specialists of the Łukasiewicz Centre, was consulted with Institute directors, staff and external experts. Representatives of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the Ministry of Development and Technology, and the Ministry of National Defence also participated. In the final days of December, the Strategy was approved by the Łukasiewicz Centre Council, composed of representatives from the Ministries of Science and Higher Education, Development and Technology, Climate and Environment, and Digitalisation.
The Strategy’s main objective is to concentrate funding in key areas where we have experience, potential and a high level of specialisation, whose lack impairs thinking of implementation successes. Thanks to this, we will be able to generate more innovative projects and thus support the growth of competitiveness of the Polish economy. We intend to achieve this by developing cooperation with businesses and streamlining the process of commercialisation and technology transfer from the Institutes to industry. We have assumed that in the first four-year period, we will build effective capacities in this area, enabling us to achieve regular benefits from this in a ten-year perspective. Thus, the Łukasiewicz Research Network will be able to become a leader in the commercialisation of scientific research results in the country.
The Łukasiewicz Research Network was established in 2019 and is one of the largest research organisations of its kind in Europe. It currently comprises 22 institutes employing a total of 4,500 scientists and engineers.
