To honor contributions to the advancement of Polish science, the Prime Minister grants annual awards. They recognize exceptional doctoral dissertations, scientific achievements leading to habilitation degrees, and accomplishments in scientific activity, including artistic creativity and implementation efforts.

Awards for doctoral dissertations

Two of this year's 25 awarded doctoral dissertations were authored by our researchers.

Aniela Czudek, PhD, was awarded for her dissertation titled “Impact of alkali element doping on the electrical characteristics of Cu(In,Ga)Se2 solar cells and thin films.” In her work, she demonstrated the effect of alkali metals on the properties of Cu (In,Ga)Se2 (CIGS) photovoltaic cells. The controlled incorporation of alkali metals (Na and K) allowed for detailed studies of the underlying mechanisms, contributing to the optimization of CIGS cell production technology.

Bartłomiej Przybyszewski, PhD, was awarded for his dissertation titled “Effect of chemical and physical modifications of polyurethane coatings on their hydrophobic and icephobic properties.” As noted, the results obtained and the methodology developed can be applied to other materials, not just polymers, opening up entirely new possibilities for addressing surface icing challenges across various fields, beyond just the aviation industry.

Award for Scientific Achievements

Seven awards were granted for achievements in scientific activity, including artistic creativity and implementation efforts. Among the recipients is Prof. Adam Proń, honored for his 50-year scientific career, which includes pioneering research on organic and hybrid (organic-inorganic) functional materials with unique electrical, electro-optical, and catalytic properties. As emphasized, the award recognizes research that combines fundamental aspects with potential applications, reflected not only in numerous publications but also in international patents. This makes his work valuable not only scientifically but also technologically and practically, positioning Prof. Adam Proń as one of the leading researchers in the field of materials chemistry.

A total of 43 Prime Minister's Awards were granted this year. A full list of the laureates is available on the website www.gov.pl/web/premier/nagrody-premiera.