On 12th May 2019, a March for Science took place, organized by several scientific and popularizing organizations and associations, with Scientists and PhD students of the Nencki Institute taking active part in the march.
The March for Science is a global initiative, aimed at popularizing science, and drawing increased attention to the influence, effectiveness and authority of science, and the importance of scientific discoveries. It is also an opportunity to support scientists and scientific influencers, who consitently provide reliable research knowledge.
In Warsaw, the march began at the Copernicus Science Centre, where organizers of the march gave short speeches. The Director of the Nencki Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Professor Agnieszka Dobrzyń, in her speech, brought praise and awareness to the high quality of scientific research conducted in Poland, especially in the field of bio-medical sciences, and the need to increase funding for scientific purposes. Poland spends a lower percentage of GDP on science than any other highly developed country, which significantly impacts the competitiveness of Polish science, and the public's access to scientific research information and results. Other speakers also raised the problem of financing within science, and the major incentive of popularizing scientific knowledge, in order to increase the level of correct and validated information available, such as on the issue of the vaccination of children. Then the whole group marched through the Old Town, to Plac Zamkowy, where they once again drew attention to the need for communication of scientific research within the public domain.