EIB backs modern development of Polish universities

• The EU bank has provided over PLN 720 million to universities in Poland since 2023, and will soon announce further financing agreements.
• The EIB Group’s flagship TechEU programme supports innovation, including higher education and science.
• The EIB and the University of Warsaw co-hosted a conference on the future of higher education.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) supports innovation, digitalisation and the development of human capital among its core priorities, including through financing modern development of universities and research institutes in Poland. On 16 October, the EU bank and the University of Warsaw co-hosted a conference on role innovation plays in the future of higher education. During the event, rectors and representatives of 20 leading public universities in Poland had the opportunity to become acquainted with the latest offer from the EU bank as regards supporting innovation in higher education and science.

“Modern higher education and groundbreaking research are the engines of social and economic development. The aim of the EIB Group’s support for Polish universities and for academic and research staff is to stimulate the growth of innovation and economic competitiveness, which is precisely what the TechEU programme is designed to do. Close cooperation between universities and business is crucial for a dynamic, knowledge-based economy,” said EIB Vice-President Teresa Czerwińska.

Since 2023, the EIB has granted over PLN 720 million to Polish higher education institutions, including the University of Warsaw, the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University and the Cracow University of Economics. Further agreements are being prepared with the University of Silesia, the Wrocław University of Science and Technology, the National Centre for Nuclear Research, among others.

The Jagiellonian University, the Medical University of Warsaw and the Poznań University of Medical Sciences are among institutions to have already benefited from the EIB’s preferential support in the past. Thanks to EIB funds, they were been able to finance the expansion and modernisation of campuses and research infrastructure. In addition to attractive financing, the EIB also offers consultancy services that help universities put their investment vision into practice.

“As an institution investing in development of higher education, in innovation and new technologies, the European Investment Bank is an important partner for the University of Warsaw and for all the Polish universities,” said Rector of the University of Warsaw Alojzy Nowak.

Supporting the development of campuses, laboratories and research infrastructure, as well as the competencies of academic and research staff, is an important component of TechEU, the EIB Group’s flagship programme announced this year to promote technological innovation and bolster Europe’s competitive advantages. Under the programme, the EIB Group will invest €70 billion by the end of 2027 in order to launch innovative investments across Europe worth €250 billion in total.

EIB Group investments in the development of innovation, digitalisation and human capital in Poland amounted to €840 million in 2024, more than double the previous year. In the years 2020-2024, the Group allocated €4.44 billion in total to this priority goal in Poland.

Background information

EIB

The European Investment Bank (ElB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. Built around eight core priorities, we finance investments that contribute to EU policy objectives by bolstering climate action and the environment, digitalisation and technological innovation, security and defence, cohesion, agriculture and bioeconomy, social infrastructure, the capital markets union, and a stronger Europe in a more peaceful and prosperous world.

The EIB Group, which also includes the European Investment Fund (EIF), signed nearly €89 billion in new financing for over 900 high-impact projects in 2024, boosting Europe’s competitiveness and security. Approximately half of the EIB’s financing within the European Union is directed towards cohesion regions, where per capita income is lower than the EU average.

Last year, the EIB Group granted Poland €5.7 billion in new financing, almost half of which was allocated to climate and environmental projects, including energy transition.

All projects financed by the EIB Group are in line with the Paris Climate Agreement, as pledged in our Climate Bank Roadmap. Almost 60% of the EIB Group’s annual financing supports projects directly contributing to climate change mitigation, adaptation, and a healthier environment.