The habilitation degree in Poland ends not with a bang but with a whimper: in spite of grandiloquent announcements from Minister Czarnek about restoring its due prestige and role, the increase in the number of schools entitled to grant habilitation leads to a hyperinflation of this degree, and in the long run – to its demise. In our article, we are discussing briefly the pros and cons of habilitation system, the status quo after most recent reforms, the quantitative analysis of the numbers of schools receiving the habilitation granting rights, and the consequences of the change. We end with a short description of possible scenarios of the current crisis.

Adopting and developing a knowledge-based economy as the current stage of global economic development is an important stimulus to successful innovation. The transition to a knowledge-based economy and achieving economic convergence, especially in the case of emerging economies, requires the appreciation of science and technology coexistence on the one hand, and the development of innovation on the other, as well as the raising of human resource competences and skills for further development. Latin American countries, in search of an effective development strategy after moving away from the Washington Consensus, which set economic priorities through the last decade of the twentieth century, become increasingly aware of the importance of the development of STI policies. They try to identify the most important institutions and the capacities and resources needed to support economic development. Such policy generally includes at least three objectives: to create research and development opportunities in public research institutes and universities; to stimulate the demand of companies for scientific and technological knowledge by establishing close relationships between universities, business and government, and supporting and developing national innovation systems in each country. In this article the author analyzes the policies introduced and attempts to assess their effectiveness.

Through this article, the current director of the PolSCA Office in Brussels (Dr. Tomasz Poprawka) and former director of the PAS Scientific Center in Paris (Dr. Kamil Szafrański) share their reflections and thus contribute to the discussion on the functioning and role of foreign centers of the Polish Academy of Sciences. In response to the article co-authored by the former directors of the PAS stations in Vienna, Paris and Brussels – in which they initiated the debate – the authors present their own perspective on a vision of the balanced operation of the stations in three key areas: the action plan, administrative support and communication. Having in mind an effective operation of the PAS centers abroad, the authors wish to share their ideas, based on the experience to date. These include strengthening of the stations in the future, taking up new challenges and searching for innovative solutions for their continuous development, thus meaningfully contributing to the promotion of Polish science abroad. At the same time, the authors declare their willingness to take part in further discussions on the role and operationality of the Academy’s scientific centers abroad. This publication consists of the following elements: introduction, discussion of issues related to science diplomacy, lobbying and advocacy of interests, analysis of administrative issues, an outline of aspects of internal communication and external dissemination, and a summary.