Barbara Mróz-Gorgoń requests year-long leave as university and prosecutors probe brand report

Academic leave and institutional review

Former government plenipotentiary for brand promotion Barbara Mróz-Gorgoń requested a one-year health leave from the Wrocław University of Economics. Science Minister Marcin Kulasek announced the request on 11 September 2026 following discussions with university rector Czesław Zając at the Economic Forum in Karpacz. The university initiated proceedings in late August 2026 to verify whether academic integrity standards were breached, with authorities also preparing to re-examine her habilitation thesis. While the disciplinary spokesman for academic staff has six months under Polish higher education law to complete the formal inquiry, Mróz-Gorgoń was removed from all teaching duties. Rector Zając stressed that because the disputed report stemmed from external activities outside the university, the institution cannot anticipate the final ruling.

“We are analyzing this situation to clarify the circumstances, whether there was indeed a violation of scientific integrity standards, in accordance with the Higher Education Act and university regulations.”

Errors and artificial intelligence in state branding

The controversy stems from the 2025 diagnostic report "Polaków portret własny" ("Poles' Self-Portrait"), published by the Fundacja Marka Polska Think Tank where Mróz-Gorgoń serves as president. Intended to assess how citizens view national identity and country potential, the 200,000 PLN study faced scrutiny after analyst Sebastian Meitz of the Sobieski Institute detailed multiple errors. The text placed the southern city of Katowice in the "northern centre" of the country, claimed Poland had five Nobel Prize winners while naming only three, and asserted that 95% of young Poles speak fluent English with many mastering Mandarin or French. Methodological inconsistencies included shifting descriptions from 35 focus groups to 35 individual participants, alongside footnote numbering that leaped from 3 to 41 and 517. The author had also drawn scrutiny in December 2025 after referring to residents of the Beskid mountains as the "Indians of Poland".

“This is a document that really should never have entered the public domain. It happened, and I have to beat my breast here, I used AI.”

Resignation and prosecution of project grant

Mróz-Gorgoń resigned from her governmental post on 21 August 2026 after serving less than one month, having assumed office on 29 July 2026. The Ministry of Sport and Tourism publicly distanced itself from the publication, stating that the document did not form part of any departmental agreement despite displaying the ministry logo on its cover. On 10 September 2026, the Warsaw District Prosecutor's Office opened a formal investigation into potential irregularities in the delivery and financial settlement of the "Marka Polska - podstrategia turystyczna" project. Mróz-Gorgoń served as the scientific and substantive director for the initiative, which received 179,738.19 PLN in funding from the tourism portfolio. Investigators are examining whether ministerial officials were misled during the grant settlement, with Kulasek noting that a prosecutorial review is necessary to clarify the financial handling of the state project.

“Given this unimaginable scale of hate, it is impossible to perform such a responsible role.”

Tourism sub-strategy grant179,738.19

Self-portrait report cost200,000

Tourism sub-strategy grant

179738.19 PLN

Self-portrait report cost

200000 PLN

Data from the article text