The president wants to control how the government spends PLN 5 billion

"The President of the Republic of Poland, who holds honorary patronage over the Fund's activities, together with the scientific and business community, will ensure that the strategic direction of investments is maintained," we read in the justification of the presidential legislative initiative regarding the establishment of the Breakthrough Technologies Development Fund .

Karol Nawrocki signed the document on Friday, August 29th. His office published the full text on Tuesday. It sheds new light on the president's idea.

As a rule, competitions. But there are exceptions.

The FRTP is expected to cover PLN 5 billion annually (PLN 2.5 billion in 2026). It comprises five subfunds:

• scientific and research;
• modern administration;
• cyberspace security;
• educational and popularizing;
• support for an innovative economy.

Funds from the fund are spent based on investment programs, intended to be based on open competitions. However, the originator immediately leaves the door open.

The competition may be omitted in "particularly justified cases" when the project is strategic in nature and meets certain criteria. This applies to situations where the project is to be implemented by a public entity, such as a university or an institution important to national security. The project cannot support commercial activities, must be of significant importance to the program's objectives, and must be characterized by a high degree of urgency. Additionally, the entity implementing the project must have unique technical, organizational, and legal capabilities to carry out the project.

The Minister of Digital Affairs is doing the dirty work. The Council will assess

The minister responsible for computerization (in the current government, the minister for digital affairs) would be responsible for preparing competitions within the fund . However, the bill grants extensive powers to the Fund's Council – a collegial body responsible for ensuring the coherence of the entire program.

Thus, although the minister determines the allocation of funds among the subfunds, the Council must review his or her ideas. The same applies to the service expenditure plan or the draft financial plan. The Council also reviews the competition regulations and their implementation before the minister approves the ranking list and signs support agreements. The Council may request additional information or competition documentation from the minister, and the minister is obligated to provide it. A positive Council opinion is also required for the establishment of investment programs by the Council of Ministers at the request of the Minister for Information Technology.

Fund Council: 6 for the government, 10 for the president

The structure, in which the Fund's Council oversees every step of the Minister for Information Technology, is important because the collegial body would be dominated by individuals dependent on the president's will. The Council would consist of:

• 6 government representatives (the project specifies precisely which ministries’ representatives should be there),
• 4 representatives of the president (including at least one representative of the National Security Bureau)
• 3 representatives of business organizations,
• 3 representatives of higher education and science.

The choice of the last two groups, however, is not accidental. Although the organizations are responsible for selecting the candidates, the final decision is made by a panel appointed by the president.

The authors of the project argue that technological development is linked to state security.

"Since national security in the modern sense requires consistent development of scientific and technological potential, it is obvious that the President – ​​due to his constitutional competences – should have special legal instruments allowing him to initiate solutions serving these purposes," we read in the justification.

Own funds like politicians' private wallets

- The currently presented structure of the fund is simply an invitation to embezzle funds, just like what happened with the Justice Fund - says Piotr Mieczkowski, member of the management board of the National Chamber of Commerce for Electronics and Telecommunications (KIGEiT).

"Politicians shouldn't have any influence over the functioning of innovation support funds, because otherwise, the funds will likely be wasted and distributed, for example, to "clackers," he adds, recalling that the previous government established PFR Ventures for such tasks. In his opinion, this was the right decision.

"When politicians have their own funds, they often treat them as private wallets to finance their activities. Many state-owned company foundations have been abused in a similar manner," Mieczkowski assesses.

The government has its own funds for innovation

It's unlikely that parliament will pass the presidential bill. The government launched its own instrument in July – the Critical Technology Support Fund. The first applications for companies are currently being accepted.

"A week ago, I sent the President full information on this matter. I continue to encourage him to promote this initiative, which is crucial for the development of a modern Poland," wrote Minister Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz on the X website. The Fund received PLN 4 billion from the European Funds for a Modern Economy (FENG).

PLN 600 million to support breakthrough technologies - this is the foundation of the Deep Tech Fund, launched by the Ministry of Finance, the Polish Development Fund and PFR Ventures.