Higher Education Act 2.0: A participatory model of substantial regulatory change

Abstract

The article presents the basic principles on which the process of preparing the new act on higher education and science is based, which is to form the cornerstone of the reform of the academic sector in Poland. The framework for considerations is a selection of principles for the preparation of significant regulatory, or broader, institutional changes,. These include: purposefulness, accurate identification of causal mechanisms, variability, participation, the appropriate planning of the impact evaluation, and realism. In light of these principles, the article describes the process of developing new solutions for research and higher education and the key areas of change that are to be pursued with the aim of achieving scientific excellence and the highest quality of education as well as raising the status of science and its responsibility towards society.