Gdańsk University of Technology to host a climate change conference | Gdańsk University of Technology

In November 2022, Gdańsk University of Technology joined the ENHANCE Alliance of technical universities, uniting the lead universities from Germany, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland and Sweden (more information available here). The October conference organized at Gdańsk Tech, will not only be an occasion to exchange knowledge and experiences on climate change, but also an opportunity for all of the members to meet and discuss future plans. It is especially important in the context of the new project named ENHANCE+, starting November this year. 

Two-day discussions, workshops and exhibitions

Keynote speakers of the “ENHANCE Summit on Climate-Neutral Cities” will be experts on climate change. Frank Moulaert (Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium) conducting social innovation studies, Rohit Sen (ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, Germany), an expert on renewable energy sources and Anna Januchta-Szostak (Poznań University of Technology), an expert in the field of urban resilience and adaptation to climate change. The speeches by invited guests will be devoted to, among others: the concept of smart city, renewable energy sources and the idea of regenerative cities.

In addition to the speeches of special guests, the conference program also includes a panel discussion with Anna Borg, rector of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Frank Moulaert, Rohit Sen and prof. Piotr Lorensa from the Faculty of Architecture of Gdańsk University of Technology, serving as the architect of the City of Gdańsk. Discussion participants will try to answer questions about the role of universities as a driving force of urban innovation and ways of involving university communities, national and local authorities, local communities as well as industry and business in activities aimed at combating the negative effects of climate change.

An important part of the conference will be workshops devoted to, among others: cooperation between the world of science and local communities to counteract climate change and spatial planning that takes into account the need to adapt cities to new climatic conditions. During one of the meetings, representatives of RWTH Aachen in Germany will share their experiences in designing various future scenarios and new models of cooperation in the context of climate challenges. Participants of other workshops will be invited to group work as part of the flagship project of the European Commission under the slogan New European Bauhaus. Gdańsk University of Technology will serve as a case study for discussion in the context of transformation in the direction of a climate-neutral campus. Summary of conclusions from workshops will be presented on the second day of the conference.

The event program also includes speeches from the students of member universities of the ENHANCE Alliance. The conference will feature exhibitions prepared by the winners of the ENHANCE Challenge and participants of “Smart Sustainable Cities & Communities – Phantom Menace or New Hope?”, organized by Warsaw University of Technology. Students will be invited to discuss the topics of artificial intelligence and sustainable urban development. The winning teams will receive prizes.

New project ENHANCE+

As part of the October conference, there will be a meeting of the ENHANCE Alliance board, currently headed by prof. Geraldine Rauch, Rector of TU Berlin (Chair of the Management Board) and prof. Krzysztof Wilde, Rector of Gdańsk Tech (Vice-Chair of the Management Board). On behalf of Gdańsk Tech, the meeting will also be attended by prof. Janusz Nieznański, Vice-Rector for Internationalization and Innovation (member of the Steering Committee) and Anna Modrzejewska (Core Officer at Gdańsk Tech).

The meeting will be an opportunity to summarize the activities undertaken so far and to plan the activities related to the next project named ENHANCE+ (in July, the European Commission granted ENHANCE Alliance funding of EUR 14.4 million for the implementation of a four-year project – you can read more here).

More information on „ENHANCE Summit on Climate-Neutral Cities” is available on the event page.

Persons interested to learn more, can also contact the Head of the International Relations Office at Gdańsk Tech, Anna Modrzejewska: anna.modrzejewska@pg.edu.pl.

The Faculty of Architecture of Gdańsk Tech, including prof. Lucyna Nyka, Dean of the Faculty, prof. Jakub Szczepański, Vice-Dean fr Education and prof. Piotr Lorens support the event with their expert knowledge on the subject. The General Secretariat of ENHANCE, including Naveed Syed, ENHANCE Secretary General, and Sarah Fowkes, Senior Project Officer, are responsible for organizing the event. The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, including Wang Yu from the Faculty of Architecture at NTNU, is responsible for the event program.

Participation in the conference is closed. A summary of the event will be published on the website of ENHANCE Alliance and Gdańsk University of Technology.