On the past and future of the Polish Geological Institute - National Research Institute (PIG-NRI) with its new director prof. dr. hab. Krzysztof Szamałek, interviewed by Artur Baranowski, spokesman for the Institute.

Artur Baranowski (AB) With what vision for the future of PGI-NRI do you begin your leadership of the Institute?

Prof. dr hab. Krzysztof Szamałek (KSz): I intend to unleash a spirit of ambition, commitment, forward thinking, thinking in terms of the needs of the state among the staff. Throughout the 105-year history of the Polish Geological Institute, its employees have repeatedly set examples of commitment, patriotism, competence, innovative methods and approaches to solving regional and raw material issues. After all, it is thanks to the achievements of PGI-NRI employees that the discovery of new mineral deposits, their development and the development of the country's economy became possible.

The synergy between the new management and staff is very important and needed. We have to go in the same direction. I want to remove organisational, administrative, bureaucratic barriers - the aim of staff should be to focus on substantive activity rather than filling in more tables and annexes.

AB: Would you agree with the statement that PGI-NRI's greatest asset is its staff?

KSz: I agree, and I will say more - the work ethos of a geological service employee at PGI-NRI has been the subject of admiration from other quarters for many years. The best people were recruited to work at PIG-NRI; they laid the foundations for the country's economic development. We must, together with the workforce, the trade unions, with the help of the Ministry and especially the Chief National Geologist, revive this ethos again and maintain it for decades to come.

The new Chief National Geologist, minister prof. Krzysztof Galos is a man who understands the needs and tasks of both the Institute as a scientific and research institution and the structure of the state geological service. I consider it natural that it will require PIG-NRI to make a new and significant commitment to the development of Polish geology. His kind and supportive attitude will assist us in fulfilling this duty.

AB: What areas of PGI-NRI's operation are in urgent need of change?

KSz: I am, as a rule, a person who is friendly and open with others. I like substantive discussions, clashing views, exchanging arguments and arriving at rational solutions. I intend to help the Institute, to develop it and to lead it on to new tracks in the 21st century.

The 21st century is already widely referred to as the age of minerals. None of the subsequent revolutions of civilisation facing mankind will succeed without access to minerals extracted from fossil deposits. This is why the geological environment will be of such great importance in the coming years. The more green, advanced technologies for the production of energy, products that are essential to man and the economy, are developed, the greater the demand for primary and secondary sources of mineral resources will become.

An extremely important and much-needed feature of the Institute is collaboration, which has been severely lacking in recent years. I am referring not only to international cooperation, but probably above all to the strengthening of relations between institutions, bodies and the whole broader community of geologists and miners in Poland.

One important area of our activity is and will continue to be the support of the geological administration bodies: provincial and district. I will stress the very high importance of their work in the administrative units of the country and the need to raise their status in the offices where they are employed. These geologists perform a number of extremely important duties that translate into responsible management of mineral resources, groundwater and the safe location, construction and operation of infrastructure facilities.

AB: PIG-NRI was awarded a scientific A category, a high rating for scientific activity. What does the Institute need to do to maintain this level?

KSz: It is necessary to strengthen the scientific and research division by hiring expert staff. First, as was the case in the cavalry, you should play the trumpet so that experienced and creative retired researchers return to the Institute for a certain period of time. It is them, this "old faith", who must help the Institute in the transition period.

In order to increase the quality of the Institute's research and maintain its scientific category, it is becoming necessary to recreate the apparatus facilities of the laboratories and workshops. We will make an investment effort to purchase new research equipment in this regard.

AB: Among the many tasks of the PGI-NRI, which do you currently consider to be the most important, key ones?

KSz: Together with my deputies, whom I thank for taking on these responsibilities, we will try to make the Institute much more active in industry events, such as conferences and symposia, because I am observing a crisis in the recruitment and education of geologists and miners. It is therefore necessary to undertake a public debate to develop good educational solutions to educate new reservoir geologists, hydrogeologists, engineering geologists and geophysicists.

It is important to see and identify the direction of the challenges and needs of the modern world. For this reason, at PGI-NRI we will emphasise innovative methods of action and research, above all in the diagnosis of the state of the ground and water environment, the detection of new contaminants, the responsible use of mining sites and effective ways of remediating them, as well as the remediation of contamination in post-industrial and degraded areas.

Also extremely important (especially in the context of drought) are the issues of quality and protection of groundwater resources, the exploitation of the thermal and storage potential of the rock mass, or the secondary use of minerals from waste accumulated in heaps and settling pits.

Therefore, we have many challenges and many areas in which we must return to the priority importance of the Polish Geological Institute in the country, and not only in terms of mineral protection.

AB: Thank you for the interview.