Investment in research pays off – in the most literal sense. Thanks to research, we save lives, extend their length, and improve their quality. Solutions that shape everyday life stem from basic research – from digital technologies and innovations in energy or climate protection to social and humanities research that shows how to introduce these changes fairly and effectively.
This is the subject of the first episode of season 4 of the NCN podcast, now available for the first time in a video format. Anna Korzekwa-Józefowicz talks with Prof. Wojciech Fendler, President of the Medical Research Agency, Prof. Krzysztof Jóźwiak, Director of the National Science Centre, and Prof. Krzysztof Pyrć, who in September will take on the role of President of the Foundation for Polish Science. It is a conversation about why without basic research there can be no innovation, and why investing in research determines the kind of country we will live in 10, 20 or 30 years from now.
Research changes everyday life
Professor Wojciech Fendler gives an example that best illustrates how research transforms our lives:
“If, 100 years ago, my child had developed leukaemia, they would have died within a month, and the only thing I could do would be to make sure they didn’t suffer. Today, if a child develops leukaemia, the probability of surviving and growing into a healthy adult is around 90%. That’s a higher chance of survival than an elderly person breaking their hip just stepping out of the bathtub. All of this happened over the course of 100 years – but actually faster than that. In 1947, Farber used aminopterin and methotrexate to achieve the first remissions of the disease in children in Boston. Then an entire field of chemotherapy and oncological treatment emerged. Today, many cancers have become chronic conditions with a high probability of cure. All of this is the result of basic research – a transfer of scientific ideas from the laboratory to the clinic. Without funding for such discoveries at the very beginning, this simply wouldn’t have been possible.”
Professor Krzysztof Pyrć recalls the history of HIV:
“In the early 1980s, the disease was essentially 100% fatal. No one knew why people were suddenly dying. Only thanks to prior scientific work – basic research – were we able to understand what viruses are, develop molecular biology methods to detect them and create diagnostic tests. Within ten years, a treatment was successfully developed that brought people back to life. Doctors told me that it was absolutely terrifying: all patients were dying, until suddenly the first drug appeared, and those same patients began to recover. Today we have dozens of therapies that allow people to live normal lives. Moreover, preventive drugs have appeared, acting somewhat like a vaccine – taken twice a year, they significantly reduce the risk of transmission. This is the first real chance to stop the greatest pandemic of the 20th century.”
Professor Krzysztof Jóźwiak adds an example from another field:
“It turns out that plants emit sounds in response to stress. Only recently has it been possible to decode them using artificial intelligence. It seems that very soon, technology will emerge where microphones placed in crop fields will capture plant sounds and inform farmers: it's too dry here, and a pest has appeared here. This is proof that even the most basic research can soon lead to practical solutions that change our lives.”
What is needed for research to really pay off
For such discoveries to emerge, three things are necessary: stable funding, a long-term strategy, and a system that rewards quality.
Professor Wojciech Fendler: “The strategy must be long-term and coherent. A comprehensive system – say, for funding science – should promote the same goals and behaviours across all areas. We have institutions funding research at various levels, but this pyramid rests on weak foundations. There is a lack of money. We need to direct our best talent into research to carry out the highest-quality basic research, because otherwise innovations simply will not emerge.”
Professor Krzysztof Pyrć: “The motto of the Foundation for Polish Science is: support the best so they become even better. And this is key – there will always be too little money. If we don’t focus on quality, we will dilute the system. In Poland, the linear model persists: a researcher is supposed to come up with an idea, then implement it themselves and develop a company. But that doesn't work. The most effective models are open, iterative ones – where everyone sits at the same table and collaborates, from universities to business.”
Professor Krzysztof Jóźwiak: “Very often we encounter a bottleneck when basic research ends, and the stage of first prototypes or patent protection begins. Here we have a gap. The National Science Centre has always recognised this problem – we were co-initiators of the TANGO programme, which was meant to address it. But what is needed are systemic, continuous solutions, not temporary fixes.”
Research as an investment
The guests agree: research is not a cost, but an investment with the highest rate of return.
“Without strong basic research, there will be no strong applied research that can be implemented in practice and that can lead to new drugs or technological solutions,” emphasises Prof. Fendler.
“Everything that surrounds us – from mobile phones to modern therapies – is the result of research. The world is racing forward, and we need to conduct research well, fund it wisely and communicate it clearly,” says Prof. Pyrć.
"We have researchers in Poland ready to compete with the world. What’s needed is a system that allows them to carry their ideas from basic research to solutions that impact societal development,” Jóźwiak says.
Podcast and Economic Forum in Karpacz
The episode “Research that pays off” opens the new season of the NCN podcast, available in both audio and video format. The debate will continue during the Economic Forum in Karpacz – the podcast guests will participate in the panel “Research as an Investment. How to Win the Future?”
During the Economic Forum we are also organising the panel “Research in Action: From Basic Research to Practical Solutions.” Throughout the event, you can also visit us at the Polish Science Pavilion, organised by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.