On the 27^th  of  January at the Warsaw University of Technology an event “Day of Projects with the Ministry of Science And Higher Education at the Warsaw University of Technology” was organized by the Ministry of Science And Higher Education It was attended by two employees of the National Projects Office from the Project Management Centre of the Silesian University of Technology – Katarzyna Dudek and Monika Brodnicka, who simultaneously represented the Polish Association of Managers and Administrators of Research PolARMA and the Academic Administration Forum.

The participants and representatives of the Ministry were welcomed by the Director of the Department of Scientific Programs and Investment. The Deputy Minister Prof.  Marek Gzik, who with the words “Everything important begins with a meeting – especially in the world of science,” opened the path to organizing future events.

Next, a short presentation of selected programs financed by the Ministry was presented, including the National Program for the Development of Humanities, Pearls of Science, Science for the Development of Society, Student Science Clubs Create Innovation, Vectors of Science or Social Responsibility of Science II. The meeting was attended by representatives of the Advisory Teams of the Minister of selected Programs, whom participants could ask questions, and during the discussion panel - moderated by Minister Marek Gzik - one could hear the statements of the winners of completed projects, as well as reflections of experts from the process of evaluating applications.

The substantive discussion allowed to present the issues with which project managers met during the implementation of projects and showed that the expert evaluation is created in a constructive and reliable way. The beneficiaries agreed on good cooperation with the Ministry in the implementation of the projects. During the Q & A session, the question was asked about the possibility of applying for funds by associations and organizations from the NGO sector. In the reply given by Minister Marek Gzik, it was stated that due to limited funds for research funding, it is not possible to allow non-profit organizations to apply for these funds. Director Alicja Steć mentioned other sources of funding offered by the Ministry, addressed to non-profit organizations.

An interesting element of the event was a short presentation of the OPI representative on the new “e-Grants” platform, which is to replace and merge the currently dispersed systems of project application, reporting, and evaluation into one coherent platform. During the Q&A session, we learned that representatives of funding institutions as well as representatives of the Academic Administration Forum and CRASP were appointed to the Advisory Team developing the assumptions of the new platform. The participation of FAA representatives gives a real opportunity to present experiences and suggestions in the design and implementation of the new e-Grants platform, derived from many years of work in the existing systems, which are the daily professional challenge of academic administration employees. The platform in full functionality is to be launched in 2029.

During the breaks in the meeting, the participants of the event had the opportunity to talk with representatives of the Ministry, as well as experts from the Advisory Teams, on topics related to the application and implementation of projects. Each participant also had the opportunity to freely talk at stands representing individual programs financed by the Ministry, as well as to establish professional contacts with other representatives of the RMA profession from scientific units from all over Poland.

The meeting gave the opportunity to contact applicants and administrative staff directly, both with ministry staff handling specific programs on a daily basis and experts assessing applications. All participants agreed on the need to organize such open meetings in the future.

Text by Katarzyna Dudek

Photos Ministry of Science and Higher Education