Ministry of Science
and Higher Education

The Ministry of Science and Higher Education will play a crucial role in this process by pursuing the priorities in education, research and innovation areas. The Ministry has announced specific initiatives and activities to strengthen the scientific competitiveness and cooperation of the European education system.

Priorities in higher education

Inclusive education and social dimension of education

One of the main priorities of the Polish Presidency in higher education is promoting inclusive education, implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of National Education. The Ministry also plans to emphasise the social dimension of education, including topics such as:

• student mental health
• the role of women in science
• promoting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) university programmes

Developing European Universities Alliances

As part of increasing the competitiveness of the EU’s education systems, work will continue on the Higher Education Package, as well as on the initiatives related to European Universities Alliances, which are aimed at enhancing cooperation between universities across the EU.

Key documents

During the Polish Presidency, two strategic documents will be negotiated and adopted:

• the EU Council resolution on the Plan for a common European diploma,
• the EU Council recommendation on the European system for quality assurance and qualification recognition in higher education.

The above documents are planned to be adopted during the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council meeting on 12 May 2025 in Brussels.

Priorities in research and innovation

Open science and artificial intelligence

In terms of research and innovation, the Polish Presidency is focusing on openness, inclusion and the use of artificial intelligence. One of the priorities is to accelerate research on AI and its practical application in science in order to enhance international cooperation in this field.

Equal opportunities and synergies

The Ministry of Science and Higher Education also calls for efforts to bridge the innovation gap between individual EU Member States and between the European Union and world leaders, in particular by building synergies between EU framework programmes and cohesion policy.

Key documents

The Polish Presidency will negotiate documents concerning:

• the European Research Area agenda for 2025–2027
• the mid-term evaluation of the Horizon Europe programme
• Euratom regulation, extending the programme until 2027
• Council conclusions on the use of AI in research

The above documents will be adopted during the Competitiveness Council (COMPET) meeting on 23 May 2025 in Brussels.

Events calendar

Higher education

• 13–14 February 2025 – meeting of Directors General for Higher Education, Warsaw
• 25–26 February 2025 – meeting of the Bologna Follow-up Group, Warsaw
• 16–17 April 2025 – meeting of the European Network of Graduate Tracking, Warsaw
• 12 May 2025 – meeting of the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council, Brussels
• 12–13 June 2025 – Forum of European Universities Alliances conference, Wrocław

Research and innovation (key events)

• 10–11 March 2025 – informal meeting of the Competitiveness Council, Warsaw
• 17–20 March 2025 – High Performance Computing Summit, Kraków
• 24–25 March 2025 – meeting of the EOSC Steering Board. EOSC Tripartite Event, Kraków
• 7–8 May 2025 – Quantum Horizons: Science – Policy – Society, Gdańsk
• 12–13 May 2025 – EU Innovation Journey’25, Warsaw
• 23 May 2025 – meeting of the Competitiveness Council (COMPET), Brussels
• 2–4 June 2025 – INDtech conference 2025 Driving Green Technologies and Materials in Industry, Kraków

The Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU is a unique opportunity to enhance European cooperation in higher education, research and innovation. Fostering inclusive education, promoting equality and unleashing the potential of artificial intelligence in science are just some of the activities undertaken by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. The presidency is not merely a commitment for Poland, but also an opportunity to have a real impact on the future of European science.