Polish Science Day is celebrated on February 19, marking the birthday of Nicolaus Copernicus. Recent data indicates that Poland hosts a total of 575 universities and scientific institutions. There are over 1.2 million students, more than 20,000 doctoral students, and just over 95,000 full-time academic teachers.
Polish Science Day is celebrated for the sixth time. Established in 2020, the holiday commemorates the historical achievements of Polish scientists and expresses appreciation for those currently working in the field. It also aims to inspire others to follow in the footsteps of domestic researchers and enhance interest in science.
The date was chosen to coincide with the birthday of Nicolaus Copernicus in recognition of his outstanding contributions—not only in astronomy. His work “On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres” was a manifesto of the heliocentric theory and revolutionized global science. Copernicus also made significant contributions to other fields, including economics, law, medicine, and cartography.
To celebrate Polish science, the Copernicus Science Centre in Warsaw hosted the inauguration of three Polish research and innovation projects that have received funding under the prestigious European Teaming for Excellence program, aimed at developing science and innovation in Poland. The ceremony will be attended by representatives from the European Commission, government, local government, and the scientific community.
The highlight of this year’s celebrations was the Polish Science Gala in Toruń, co-organized by the Nicolaus Copernicus University. During the event, the Minister of Science and Higher Education Awards were presented in five categories: scientific activity, teaching, implementation, organizational achievements, and lifetime achievement.
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According to the latest data on the RAD-on portal (managed by the Information Processing Center – OPI-PIB), there are 135 public universities, 207 private universities, and 16 church universities in our country.
Additionally, there are 217 scientific institutions, including 70 research institutes, 68 scientific institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences, 23 institutes of the Łukasiewicz Research Network, and 1 international institute.
In 2023, more than 1.2 million people were studying in Poland, of which 59% were women. Women also dominated among those obtaining a master’s degree (71%) and among students from rural areas (62%). Conversely, men constituted the majority of those obtaining an engineering degree: 70%.
There were a total of 20,596 doctoral students, of which 3,193 were in doctoral studies and 17,403 in doctoral schools. There were 163 doctoral schools.
In 2022, nearly 95,000 academic teachers were employed at Polish universities, with men making up over half (51.5%). Similar proportions were observed at public and private universities. A greater gender disparity characterized church universities, where the proportion of men among academic teachers was 57%
Source: Dzień Nauki Polskiej – święto upamiętniające dokonania polskich naukowców | Nauka w Polsce
