DFG and partner organisations FNP and NCN organise third Polish-German Science Meeting in Berlin / Intense dialogue focusing on current crises

DFG and partner organisations FNP and NCN organise third Polish-German Science Meeting in Berlin / Intense dialogue focusing on current crises

Bringing together 17 research institutions and funding organisations from Germany and Poland, the third Polish-German Science Meeting in Berlin focused mainly on the current global political crises and their impact on science and research in the two countries, as well as potential response strategies. The two-day meeting was organised by DFG and its two Polish partner organisations, the Foundation for Polish Science (FNP) and the National Science Centre (NCN). All three institutions stressed the crucial importance of bilateral cooperation, especially in the face of the climate crisis, the coronavirus pandemic and the war against Ukraine:

“Our close-knit German-Polish relations are based on shared scientific principles and the firm belief that the promotion of science and research is essential to the future and prosperity of our two countries. This is one of the reasons why we organise the Polish-German Science Meeting, where we come together both as researchers and as citizens of a united Europe. And it is also the reason we strongly condemn the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. In consensus with our Polish partner organisations, we will continue to support persecuted Ukrainian and Russian researchers and above all, in close cooperation with each other, seek to promote the reconstruction of the Ukrainian science system,” said DFG President Katja Becker.

"German and Polish researchers have established a very close and fruitful partnership over the past decades. We see considerable potential in collaboration between our science organisations. In view of the current crises, we must make every effort to maintain mutual trust. Our ongoing bilateral activities also have a positive impact on the academic environment in neighbouring countries, and Ukraine being one of these is currently in dire need of our help,” said FNP President Maciej Żylicz.

“The global problems of our time cannot be solved within national borders, so cooperation between researchers and decision-makers from different countries is vital. Collaboration between Polish and German research institutions also offers a great opportunity for Polish science, opening many doors. For me personally, as someone who has spent some time working as a researcher in Germany – including at two Max Planck Institutes – and now heads a Polish funding agency, scientific cooperation is not least an investment in the future that brings both countries closer together,” said Zbigniew Błocki, Director of the NCN.

The DFG hosted this third conference in Berlin as the next in a series of Polish-German Science Meetings. The dialogue event was previously held in Munich in 2017 and in Krakow in 2019. More than 50 representatives from almost all Polish and German science organisations met in the German capital, along with representatives of the embassies of the two countries. The meeting started with a number of scientific presentations and a panel discussion. On the second day, the focus was on participants’ experience and perspectives on the current crises and how the various institutions and organisations had tackled the problems involved.

Discussion centred in particular on the activities pursued by the individual Polish and German institutions in support of Ukraine. Here it emerged clearly once again that cross-border cooperation offers enormous potential in tackling crises. Given the growing importance of German-Polish relations, the series of Polish-German Science Meetings is to be continued.

Further information:

Media contact:

• DFG Press and Public Relations
  Tel. +49 228 885 2109
  presse@dfg.de

Contact at the DFG Head Office:

• Dr. Annina Lottermann
  International Cooperation Group
  Tel. +49 228 885 2802
  annina.lottermann@dfg.de

A report on the third Polish-German Science Meeting will be available here soon:

• www.dfg.de/dfg_magazin/aus_der_dfg/internationales