Academics push back against moves to put Polish Academy of Sciences under government control

The Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN) has hit back at government plans to reform the structure of the academy, claiming the ministry of science is attempting to impose political control. The government says the goal is to “democratise” the academy.

Since the ministry of science submitted its proposal in July there have been intense discussions among academy members, who claim that giving the ministry supervisory powers would deprive the academy of its autonomy.

Proposals for reform have been circulating for years, both within the academy and the ministry. However, these have failed to reach a common vision, and none of the bills have been adopted since 2010.

Poland is not alone in facing this challenge. Reforms of ex-communist academies in eastern Europe are long overdue. But attempts to do so have raised concerns about academic freedom. As one case in point, in 2019, Hungary passed a law forcing its Academy of Sciences to transfer its research institutes to the oversight of a government-controlled body, which was also empowered to use the academy’s assets.

In Poland, the latest proposal by PAN president Marek Konarzewski sparked concerns about the autonomy of the academy’s institutes. Meanwhile, the ministry was working on its own draft legislation, which proposes three critical changes.

First, the bill redistributes decision-making power within the academy. PAN is made up of three branches: the Corporation, scientific institutes, and the committees of PAN, which are mainly composed of university staff.

The Corporation consists of approximately 350 distinguished scientists who perform administrative functions. They hold the status of PAN members with more decision-making powers, such as the right to elect the president. The network of 68 institutes – the second pillar of PAN – conducts research, while the committees help promote science to society.

Currently, the academy’s assembly is composed exclusively of Corporation members. The ministry's proposal suggests that scientists from the Polish Young Academy, a community within PAN established in 2010, should make up 20% of the assembly, and that all institute directors should also be included.

Maciej Gdula, undersecretary of state responsible for the PAN reform legislative process, said the change would give more voice to early-career researchers. However, PAN vice president Dariusz Jemielniak expressed concerns that this change would grant too much power to institute directors in appointing their own members. “It detours from the world practice, and makes a precedent of non-members electing members,” Jemielniak said, adding that the directors would likely elect themselves first and that another risk is that they could take over the academy’s assets.

Gdula told Science|Business that while the current draft allows all assembly members to vote on Corporation members, the ministry is considering reserving the exclusive right to vote on new Corporation members for existing members.

Not a top priority

Secondly, the reform proposes transferring supervision power over the academy from the prime minister to the ministry of science. Gdula argues the academy is overseen by the prime minister due to historical reasons, but science is not his top priority. “Therefore, like other scientific institutions, PAN should be under the supervision of the ministry. It is logical,” he told Science|Business.

PAN’s administration opposes this change, warning it could lead to centralisation of power. “The academy should stay as the hub and think tank for all ministries, serving expertise across the fields rather than join hundreds of entities under the ministry,” Jemielniak said. He also expressed concerns that the reform would allow the ministry of science to take control of the academy's assets and asset management.

Academy member Hubert Izdebski, who was involved in preparing PAN’s alternative vision for reform, said the ministry’s bill could turn PAN into a “government agency” by depriving the Corporation of the majority of votes in the general assembly and transferring critical power to the ministry.

Gdula pointed out that the assembly will consist exclusively of academics and scientists, and will not be controlled by politicians. He added that while the chancellor will be nominated by the minister, the candidates will be appointed by the president of the academy. “This system is far from political control,” he said.

Jemielniak countered that the proposed regulation allows the ministry to revoke the chancellor at any time.

Academic freedom has been in the spotlight in Europe, with policymakers searching for mechanisms to protect it. The European Parliament is calling for legislation to guarantee academic freedom rights, although some academics are skeptical about the effectiveness of such an approach.

Retirement rule

Finally, the draft bill introduces compulsory retirement for the members of Corporation over the age of 75. The ministry advocates for this measure, saying that the Corporation needs to be revitalised. “What we are observing is that the academy is losing its impact on public debate,” Gdula said. The retirement rule would mean that members over 75 would no longer have the right to vote or hold administrative positions, though they would remain community members and receive financial support.

Academy members, however, argue that retirement should be a right rather than obligation, and that scientists should not lose their voting rights due to age. 

Another point of disagreement is the distribution of funds for the institutes. The ministry plans to oversee the process, saying that a better framework is needed. The academy’s vice president argues that these decisions should be made by the academy and the directors of the institutes based on transparent algorithms. Furthermore, Jemielniak says that the reform proposal fails to ensure funding for the institutes by law, on par with universities, leaving the decision to the ministry on a year-to-year basis.

He added the fundamental problem is the lack of adequate financing for institutes and Polish science in general. In Poland, only 1.4% of GDP is devoted to research and higher education. “The academy should serve as a think tank for the government - providing reports and expertise in all vital cases,” he said.

The ministry plans to present a revised version of the reform proposal, taking into account feedback from other ministries and the academy, in the coming weeks. “I hope it will be more acceptable to the involved parties, though I don’t expect all disagreements to be resolved,” Gdula said. He added that while the ministry is open to dialogue, it remains firm that PAN should be supervised by the ministry and is not willing to compromise on this point.