By Ion Axinescu
Copyright euroweeklynews
Poland is in the middle of a quiet makeover, and most people outside the region probably haven’t even noticed. Forget the postcard clichés of mediaeval castles, pierogi, or budget flights full of stag parties from the UK, a new report suggests Poland might actually be getting ready to crash Europe’s deep tech party.
The study, put together by the think tank infuture.institute, points to Poland as one of the countries to watch. And not just in a vague way. We’re talking about real areas of heavy-hitting innovation: quantum computing, biotech experiments that sound like sci-fi, and even advanced materials that could end up in future spacecraft or medical labs.
It’s part of the so-called Emerging Technologies Index, which maps 95 breakthroughs across nine different fields. Basically, a cheat sheet for the next decade, and Poland gets a cameo that could turn into a starring role.
Poland has it all, from talent to AI ambitions
On the global stage, the script feels familiar. The U.S. and China still dominate the money game when it comes to innovation. Europe, meanwhile, risks drifting into irrelevance, tangled up in its own bureaucracy, sky-high energy prices, and sluggish economies that can’t always keep up with Silicon Valley’s speed.
But Poland, the report argues, might be the outlier. The country has a cocktail of assets: a pool of well-educated engineers and scientists, an economy that is growing, and the push that comes from living next door to conflict zones and energy insecurity.
So what’s on the table? Think quantum communication networks, gene editing, nanomedicine, and the trendier buzz items like generative AI. But also the more practical, proven innovations. For instance, mRNA vaccines that everyone remembers from COVID, or modular nuclear reactors that could keep the lights on.
It all comes to money and strategy
Sure, it all comes down to money in the end. “Technology today is not just an economic driver but the foundation of sovereignty,” says Natalia Hatalska, CEO of infuture.institute. In other words, build it yourself, or you’ll be stuck buying it from someone else (probably on their terms, not yours)
So without actual investment it stays just the potential. Poland could either shape the future or stay the side character watching the US and China steal the show. And the clock is already ticking, according to this report.
All in all, Poland as a deep tech hub still sounds odd. But the idea of Warsaw as a stopover on the road to the future is no longer just fantasy.
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