The plan, signed as a presidential legislative initiative on Friday at the University of Warsaw’s Center for New Technologies, would establish the Fund for the Development of Breakthrough Technologies with an annual budget of PLN 5 billion (EUR 1.2 billion, USD 1.4 billion).
Nawrocki said Poland must not miss what he described as a global technological revolution that will shape the coming decades.
"We must make the effort so that Poland does not sleep through the great technological revolution. That is why I am putting forward this initiative," he told the gathering.
He added that he expects parliament to support the bill.
The president said the proposal had been shaped with the involvement of specialists rather than politicians.
“It is essentially a civic initiative, though submitted by the president to parliament, created with the effort of professionals and practitioners in new technologies,” he said.
Nawrocki also announced that he would soon set up a council on new technologies to guide the effort.
According to the president, the fund would help curb the emigration of Polish experts while connecting academic institutions, startups, entrepreneurs and technology professionals directly with the presidency.
He also argued that investment in innovation pays off several times over.
“From every złoty that the Polish state invests in new technologies, we can see five złoty in returns in the coming years. This is not a request for money, it is an appeal for investment that will bring real gains to Poland,” he said.
Nawrocki proposed financing the fund through stricter collection of existing taxes, including value-added tax (VAT), corporate income tax (CIT), and excise duties.
He said improved enforcement already yields around PLN 45 billion annually for the state budget, making the PLN 5 billion allocation for the fund realistic.
The president insisted that the initiative was not directed against any political group but toward securing Poland’s future.
He added that he sees the law as a tool for developing what he called “technological diplomacy,” allowing Poland to attract foreign capital while supporting Polish experts abroad.
One of the co-authors of the bill, economist and computer scientist Antoni Rytel, said the fund would operate through five sub-funds targeting research and development, innovative economy, education and public outreach, cybersecurity and modern administration.
(rt/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP