After joining the European Union, many aspects of economic and social development are changing in Poland. Change is necessary in many areas, including the areas of research and education and their links to practice as it is broadly understood practice. Some areas seem neglected by the policy-makers. This article will refer to the question of "two cultures," showing the development priorities present in strategic Polish documents, with the focus mainly on research and higher education policies. It will comprise the following aspects: priority setting referring to "two cultures," identification of different sources of finance, expenditure on particular research areas in Poland, as well as the impact of the Europeanization process on the policy making.