A formal meeting of the Łukasiewicz – ITECH Institute Council was held on 2 July to review the Institute’s achievements to date and discuss its strategic priorities for future development.
Council members and invited guests reviewed the Institute’s key activities during the 2025/26 period and outlined a vision for its further development as an interdisciplinary technology and strategy think tank. Its ambition is to support a new model of development for Poland—one rooted in knowledge, innovation, security, the energy transition and effective public policy.
The meeting brought together members of the Institute Council, the management team and employees of Łukasiewicz – ITECH, as well as invited guests representing public administration, policy and research institutions, and the academic community. Special guests included Hubert Cichocki, President of the Łukasiewicz Centre; Michał Doligalski, Director of the Department of Innovation and Development at the Ministry of Science and Higher Education; Izabela Najda-Jędrzejewska, Deputy Director of the Department of Innovation and Development at the Ministry of Science and Higher Education; Hubert Tadych, Director of the Department of International Cooperation at the Ministry of Energy; Maciej Sobolewski, Director of the Polish Economic Institute; and Wojciech Przybylski, Editor-in-Chief of Visegrad Insight.
Łukasiewicz – ITECH: Expert Support for Government, Academia and Business
Director Michał Matlak, together with his deputies, Katarzyna Jodko-Piórecka and Zdzisław Galicki, outlined how Łukasiewicz – ITECH developed as a research and policy analysis centre over the course of 2025/26, undergoing significant organisational and strategic change.
Three core areas of research were established: security and defence, the energy transition, and the innovation ecosystem. The Department of Strategy and Analysis was also created and, since 1 January 2026, has coordinated the Institute’s analytical work, publication process and preparation of strategic documents.
Three Centres, Three Strategic Areas of Development
New members of the team were introduced, including the heads and area leads responsible for the development of Łukasiewicz – ITECH’s research centres. The Analysis and Technology Development Center is led by Szymon Wiktorowicz, PhD; while the Energy Transformation Research Center is headed by Agata Urbaniak, PhD Eng. The Security and Defense Innovation Center was represented by Maciej Gruszczyński, PhD.
The management experience of Zdzisław Galicki, the Institute’s new Deputy Director for Administration and Finance, will support the next stage of its reorganisation, help streamline internal processes and contribute to the delivery of key development plans, including the investment in the Institute’s new headquarters at 87 Żelazna Street in Warsaw.
Plans for the Future
Among the Institute’s key priorities for future development are two cross-cutting programmes announced by Director Michał Matlak: a European programme and an Asian programme. The latter will focus on analysing development models and exploring opportunities for cooperation with Asian countries, particularly India, Taiwan and South Korea. This area is becoming increasingly important in the context of economic security, supply chain resilience, critical technologies and global competition.
The European programme, meanwhile, will focus on the EU dimension of public policy in the Institute’s core areas of expertise: innovation, security and the energy transition. Łukasiewicz – ITECH aims to play an active role in the European think-tank community and contribute to the wider policy debate by examining how continent-wide developments affect Poland’s economy, public administration and research and development sector. Another key question will be Poland’s place in the European debate on competitiveness, security, technological sovereignty and the green transition.
Among the key priorities announced by Director Matlak for the coming months are the continuation of the Institute’s Expert Breakfast series, the further development of the Friends of Innovation Club, the organisation of Horizon4Poland’26 in November 2026, and preparations for a flagship conference exploring security as a driver of growth in Poland and across Europe.
Plans for the new premises at 87 Żelazna Street in Warsaw were also presented. The building is intended to serve as a flagship home for both the Łukasiewicz Centre and Łukasiewicz – ITECH, while providing a modern space for research, conferences, exhibitions, expert work and collaboration with partners across the public, academic and business sectors.
Reports, Policy Papers and Research
Łukasiewicz – ITECH’s research and project achievements during the 2025/26 period were also reviewed. The team’s work resulted in several reports, articles published in Scopus-indexed journals–including three publications in journals listed in the Scopus Top 10–as well as numerous contributions to the press. Among its key outputs, the Centre for Technology Analysis and Development proposed a new approach to innovation funding in the Commercialisation Compass. It also prepared a policy brief combining a macroeconomic assessment of the cost of financing innovation with an analysis of the value added generated, and contributed to a report on economic security in Central Europe in the context of a potential invasion of Taiwan. The Centre for Security and Defence Innovation examined the barriers facing dual-use technologies in Poland, as well as Poland’s position in the global competition for technological leadership. The Centre for Energy Transition Research published a comprehensive report on the Polish Nuclear Power Programme and a commentary on the 2026 update to the National Energy and Climate Plan.
Partnerships, Projects and Engagement in Public Debate
Building strong partnerships—both in Poland and internationally–remains an important part of Łukasiewicz – ITECH’s development. The Institute works with public authorities, policy institutions, research organisations, businesses, international partners and other institutes within the Łukasiewicz Research Network. Key partners include the European University Institute in Florence, the Polish Economic Institute, the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna, Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute, the Centre for Eastern Studies and Visegrad Insight.
The 2025/26 period was also marked by a strong Łukasiewicz – ITECH presence in public debate, with the Institute organising nearly 30 events. These included expert breakfasts, debates, conferences and workshops addressing topics such as economic security, the energy transition, the innovation ecosystem, and the implications of Brexit for Poland and the European Union.
Representatives of the Institute also took part in major international events, including the Munich Security Conference, the GLOBSEC Forum, the Ukraine Recovery Conference and the Baltic Business Forum.
Between September 2025 and June 2026, Łukasiewicz – ITECH secured more than PLN 3.5 million in funding through consortium projects. Its ongoing and planned initiatives include Ruralstrat, which supports the development of the smart village concept; HoptoLINE, focused on optical printed circuit boards; and HIT, dedicated to the transformation of Europe’s industrial regions. Other projects cover mobility, energy storage, photonics, quantum technologies, and analysis supporting development and security.
The Institute also supports businesses and researchers seeking funding under the Horizon Europe programme by organising matchmaking and brokerage events, training sessions, workshops and consultations. Knowledge transfer and technology development remain another important area of activity, including cooperation through the Industry Contact Points and the Polish Basalt Technologies Cluster.
The Institute Council meeting demonstrated that Łukasiewicz – ITECH is entering the next stage of its development with a clearly defined ambition: to produce knowledge that informs public decision-making, strengthens Poland’s technological capacity and helps shape a new model of development for the country.
Łukasiewicz – ITECH: A New Chapter
A Review of the Institute’s Key Activities in 2025/26
