“Cutting research funds for ships operating as scientific research stations in the area of the North Sea, the Arctic Ocean and the island of Spitsbergen is an action in favor of the Russian Federation, I have no doubt about that,” said the former Deputy Minister of National Education Tomasz Rzymkowski in an interview with the portal wPolityce.pl.
The Ministry of Science and Higher Education has stopped funding the research vessel Oceania. It is the only Polish research vessel that can operate outside the Baltic Sea
– informed the Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
Our scientific activities, largely based on research on board Oceania, also include extensive collaboration with research centers from around the world. This is an important item in world oceanography. But above all, it involves a huge amount of knowledge about the changes taking place in the two most sensitive and important areas, namely the Baltic Sea and the Arctic. It is difficult for us to understand the decision of the Polish government, which after 35 years of good work, is closing an important source of financing for this unit. Thanks to Oceania, Poland receives money for oceanographic research from the EU, the Norwegian Financial Mechanism and bilateral agreements – on average several million zlotys per year – but this is money for research, not for ship maintenance
– we read in a message from the Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IO PAN).
This decision caused great outrage. This is another highly controversial decision by the Ministry of Science after cutting back on other important projects or ousting the chairman of IDEAS NCBR.
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Gdula blames ‘experts’
Maciej Gdula, deputy science minister from the left, attempted to respond to the scandal.
The government has not reduced subsidies. “Oceania” was not eligible for funding in the competition, in which decisions are made by expert scientists. The Institute of Oceanology has submitted an application to change the decision. The ministry is trying to find a solution to this difficult situation
– he argued.
Rzymkowski takes the floor
Tomasz Rzymkowski, former deputy minister of education and science in the Law and Justice government, commented on the issue in an interview with the wPolityce.pl portal, explaining that this was not the decision of “scientists-advisers”.
This is the decision of the minister, and each minister based on a specific department of government administration. Any advisory bodies or competition committees are optional because the person managing the funds takes full responsibility. In this case, the Minister responsible for Science and Higher Education is the manager of the budgetary resources
– he explained.
The shadow of the Kremlin
Rzymkowski drew attention to the Russian aspect of this case.
Part of the state’s foreign policy during the rule of Law and Justice was the intensification of financial expenditure on research in the Arctic as a result of our Allied commitments and attempts to expel research forces there, but also because of the intelligence services of the Russian Federation. This was a very important part of the state’s foreign policy
– he said.
At this time, cutting research funds for ships operating as scientific research stations in the North Sea, the Arctic Ocean and the island of Spitsbergen is, I have no doubt, an action in favor of the Russian Federation.
– emphasized the former deputy minister.
The return of the communists
Tomasz Rzymkowski opined that “not since 1989 has such a highly compromised team ruled the Ministry of Education and Science.”
Cuts are being made to spending on higher education, specific colleges and universities. Funds allocated by Law and Justice, by Minister Czarnek, are being taken away
– he said.
Moreover, we have positions in several institutions that, according to the Polish United Workers’ Party, never existed. The comrades, who had been starving for eighteen years, rushed to different positions. And we have witnessed such miracles that politicians from the Political Science Committee of the Polish United Workers’ Party are now directors of institutions
– noted Tomasz Rzymkowski
These people have no idea about empirical sciences, they wrote their doctorates and habilitations on the armed actions of the labor movement during the war, and today they are engaged in organic chemistry or modern technologies. This is a joke. They don’t know anything about it
– he noticed.
We are facing a complete decline of Polish science and Polish universities, which are funded by the financial resources allocated by Law and Justice and Minister Czarnek. The case of the quantum computer taken away from the Poznań University of Technology has already become a symbol
– he concluded.
A friendly gesture
Our interlocutor noted that the attack on the research vessel is another friendly gesture from this government towards Russia.
I can also propose to the current management of the Ministry of Science that it might be worthwhile to establish a new cooperation with the Russian Federation, because as Deputy Minister responsible for Foreign Affairs I have finalized and we were the only ministry that did that. immediately separated from all ties with the Russian Federation, while ensuring support for Polish scientists so that their research is not interrupted
– he scoffed.
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Adrian Siwek
Source: wPolityce